Miss   DIVIDENDS 


Nobel 


ARCHIBALD    CLAVERING   GUNTER 

AUTHOR  OF 

"  MR.  BARNES  OF  NEW  YORK,"  "  MR.  POTTER  OF  TEXAS," 

"THAT    FRENCHMAN!"    "MISS   NOBODY    OF 

NOWHERE,"  "  SMALL  BOYS  IN  BIG  BOOTS," 

UA  FLORIDA  ENCHANTMENT," 

ETC.,    ETC. 


NEW    YORK 

THE    HOME    PUBLISHING   COMPANY 

3  EAST  FOURTEENTH  STREET 

1892 


COPYRIGHT,  1892, 
Bv  A.  C.  GUNTER. 


All  rights  reserved. 


*****  of  J.  J.  Little  &  Co. 
A«or  Place,  New  York 


ARCHIBALD  CLAVERING  GDNTER'S 
Celebrated  Novels, 


MR.  BARNES   OF   NEW  YORK. 
MR.  POTTER   OF   TEXAS. 

THAT    FRENCHMAN ! 

MISS    NOBODY    OF    NOWHERE. 

A  FLORIDA  ENCHANTMENT. 


Story  for  Children  of  All  Ages. 
SMALL  BOYS  IN  BIG  BOOTS. 

ILLUSTRATED. 


2061861 


CONTENTS. 
BOOK  I. 

THE    GIRL    FROM    NEW    YORK. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  I. — Mr.  West,    -  7 

"  II.— Miss  East,    -                                    -  17 

"  III. — Her  Father's  Friend,    -                  -  30 

"  IV. — Mr.    Ferdie  begins    his   Western 

Investigations,                   -         -  38 

«  V. — The  Grand  Island  Eating-House,  54 

"  VI. — Mr.  Ferdie  Discovers  a  Vigilante,  66 

"  VII.— What  Manner  of  Man  is  This?     -  77 

BOOK  II. 

A    CURIOUS    CLUB    MAN. 

CHAPTER  VIII.— The  City  of  Saints,      -  -  101 

IX.— The  Ball  in  Salt  Lake,  -115 

"             X.— "Papa!  "     -  -  135 

"           XI. — "  For  Business  Purposes,"  -        -  153 


6  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER    XII.— A  Daughter  of  the  Church,  -  -  166 

XIII.— The  Love  of  a  Bishop,  -  179 

«         XIV.— A  Rare  Club  Story,      -  -  iQ7 

BOOK   III. 

OUT    OF    A    STRANGE    COUNTRY. 

CHAPTER    XV. — The  Snow-Bound  Pullman,  -  -  217 

XVI.—"  To  the  Girl  I  Love  !  "  -  233 

"       XVII.— A  Voice  in  the  Night,  -  240 

"      XVIII.— The  Last  of  the  Danites,  -  25 1 

XIX. — Orange     Blossoms     among  the 

Snow,        ....  264 


MISS  DIVIDENDS. 


BOOK    I. 
THE  GIRL  FROM    NEW    YORK. 


CHAPTER  I. 

MR.  WEST. 

"FiVE  minutes  behind  your  appointment,"  remarks 
Mr.  Whitehouse  Southmead  in  kindly  severity  ;  then  he 
laughs  and  continues  :  "  You  see,  your  oysters  are  cold." 

"As  they  should  be,  covered  up  with  ice,"  returns 
Captain  Harry  Storey  Lawrence.  A  moment  after,  how- 
ever, he  adds  more  seriously,  "  I  had  a  good  excuse." 

"An  excuse  for  keeping  this  waiting?"  And  White- 
house  pours  out  lovingly  a  glass  of  Chateau  Yquem. 

"  Yes,  and  the  best  in  the  world,  though  probably  not 
one  that  would  be  considered  good  by  a  lawyer." 

"Aha  !  a  woman  ? "  rejoins  Mr.  Southmead. 

"  The  most  beautiful  I  have  ever  seen  !  "  cries  Law- 
rence, the  enthusiasm  of  youth  beaming  in  his  handsome 
dark  eyes. 

"Pooh  \  "  returns  the  other,  "you  have  only  been  from 
the  Far  West  for  three  days." 

"  True,"  remarks  Lawrence.  "  Three  days  ago  I  was 
incompetent,  but  am  not  now.  You  see,  I  have  been 


8  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

living  in  a  mining  camp  in  Southern  Utah  for  the  last  year, 
where  all  women  are  scarce  and  none  beautiful.  For 
my  first  three  days  in  New  York,  every  woman  I  met  on 
the  streets  seemed  to  me  a  houri.  Now,  however,  I  am 
beginning  to  discriminate.  My  taste  has  become  normal, 
and  I  pronounce  the  young  lady  whose  fan  I  picked  up 
on  the  stairs  a  few  moments  ago,  just  what  I  have  called 
her.  Wouldn't  you,  if  she  had  eyes " 

"  Oh,  leave  the  eyes  and  devote  yourself  to  the  oysters," 
interjects  the  more  practical  Southmead.  "You  cannot 
have  fallen  in  love  with  a  girl  while  picking  up  her  fan  ; 
besides,  I  have  business  to  talk  to  you  about  this  evening, 
— business  upon  which  the  success  of  your  present  trans- 
action may  depend." 

"  You  do  not  think  the  financial  effort  France  is  making 
to  pay  its  war  indemnity  to  Germany  will  stop  the  sale 
of  my  mine  ? "  says  the  young  man  hurriedly,  seating 
himself  opposite  his  companion,  and  the  two  begin  to 
discuss  the  charming  petit  souper,  such  as  one  bachelor 
gave  to  another  in  old  Delmonico's  on  Fourteenth  Street 
and  Fifth  Avenue  before  canvas-back  ducks  had  become 
quite  as  expensive  as  they  now  are,  and  terrapin  had 
become  so  scarce  that  mud-turtles  frequently  masquerade 
for  diamond-backs,  even  in  our  most  expensive  restau- 
rants. For  this  conversation  and  this  supper  took  place 
in  the  autumn  of  1871,  before  fashionable  New  York  had 
moved  above  Twenty-third  Street,  when  Neilson  was 
about  to  enter  into  the  glory  of  her  first  season  at  the 
Academy,  when  Capoul  was  to  be  the  idol  of  the  ladies, 
and  dear  little  Duval  was  getting  ready  to  charm  the 
public  by  her  polonaise  in  "  Mignon." 

This  year,  1871,  had  marked  several  changes  in  the 
business  of  these  United  States  of  America.  During  the 
War  of  the  Confederacy,  speculators,  under  the  guise  of 
Government  contractors,  had  stolen  great  sums  from 
Uncle  Sam.  In  1865  the  Government  changed  its  policy, 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  9 

and  began  to  make  presents  of  fortunes  to  speculators, 
thus  saving  them  the  trouble  of  robbing  it. 

In  1868  it  had  just  finished  presenting  a  syndicate  of 
Boston  capitalists  with  the  Union  Pacific  Railway,  many 
millions  of  dollars  in  solid  cash,  and  every  alternate  sec- 
tion of  Government  land  for  twenty  miles  on  each  side 
of  their  thousand  miles  of  track.  It  had,  also,  been 
equally  generous  to  five  small  Sacramento  capitalists,  and 
had  presented  them  with  the  Central  Pacific  Railway,  the 
same  amount  of  Government  land,  and  some  fifty-five 
millions  of  dollars,  and  had  received  in  return  for  all 
this — not  even  thanks. 

The  opening  of  these  railroads,  however,  had  brought 
the  West  and  East  in  much  more  intimate  connection. 
Mines  had  been  developed  in  Utah  and  Colorado,  and 
the  Western  speculator,  with  his  indomitable  energy,  had 
opened  up  a  promising  market  for  various  silver  prop- 
erties in  the  West,  not  only  in  New  York  and  other 
Eastern  cities,  but  in  Europe  itself. 

One  of  the  results  of  this  is  the  appearance  in  New 
York  of  the  young  man,  Captain  Harry  Storey  Lawrence, 
who  has  come  to  complete  the  negotiations  for  the  sale 
of  a  silver  property  in  which  he  is  interested,  to  an 
English  syndicate,  the  lawyer  representing  the  same  in 
America  being  Mr.  Whitehouse  Southmead,  who  is  now 
seated  opposite  to  him. 

As  the  two  men  discuss  their  oysters,  champagne,  par- 
tridges and  salad,  their  appearances  are  strikingly  dissim- 
ilar. Southmead,  who  is  perhaps  fifty,  is  slightly  gray 
and  slightly  bald,  and  has  the  characteristics  of  an  easy- 
going family  lawyer, — one  to  whom  family  secrets, 
wealth  and  investments,  might  be  implicitly  trusted, 
though  he  is  distinctly  not  that  kind  of  advocate  one 
would  choose  to  fight  a  desperate  criminal  case  be- 
fore a  jury,  where  it  was  either  emotional  insanity  or 
murder. 


IO  MISS    DIVIDENDS. 

The  man  opposite  to  him,  however,  were  he  a  lawyer, 
would  have  been  just  the  one  for  the  latter  case,  for  the 
most  marked  characteristic  in  Harry  Storey  Lawrence's 
bearing,  demeanor  and  appearance  is  that  of  resolution, 
unflinching,  indomitable, — not  the  resolution  of  a  stub- 
born man,  but  one  whose  fixed  purpose  is  dominated  by 
reason  and  directed  by  wisdom. 

He  has  a  broad,  intellectual  forehead,  a  resolute  chin 
and  lower  lip.  These  would  be  perhaps  too  stern  did 
not  his  dark,  flashing  eyes  have  in  them  intelligence  as 
well  as  passion,  humanity  as  well  as  firmness.  His  hair 
is  of  a  dark  brown,  for  this  man  is  a  brunette,  not  of  the 
Spanish  type,  but  of  the  Anglo-Saxon.  His  mustache, 
which  is  long  and  drooping,  conceals  a  delicate  upper 
lip,  which  together  with  the  eyes  give  softness  and  hu- 
manity to  a  countenance  that  but  for  them  would  look 
too  combative.  His  figure,  considerably  over  the  middle 
height,  has  that  peculiar  activity  which  is  produced 
only  by  training  in  open  air, — not  the  exercise  of  the 
athlete,  but  that  of  the  soldier,  the  pioneer,  the  adven- 
turer ;  for  Harry  Lawrence  has  had  a  great  deal  of  this 
kind  of  life  in  his  twenty-nine  years  of  existence. 

Leaving  his  engineering  studies  at  college,  he  had 
entered  the  army  as  a  lieutenant  at  the  opening  of  the 
rebellion,  and  in  two  years  had  found  himself  the  cap- 
tain of  an  Iowa  battery — the  only  command  which  gives 
to  a  young  officer  that  independence  which  makes  him 
plan  as  well  as  act.  But,  having  fought  for  his  country 
and  not  for  a  career,  as  soon  as  the  rebellion  had 
finished,  this  citizen  soldier  had  resigned,  and  until 
1868  had  been  one  of  the  division  engineers  of  the 
Union  Pacific  Railway.  On  the  completion  of  that 
great  road,  he  had  found  himself  at  Ogden,  and  had 
devoted  himself  to  mining  in  Utah. 

Altogether,  he  looks  like  a  man  who  could  win  a 
woman's  heart  and  take  very  good  care  of  it ;  though, 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  TI 

perhaps  his  appearance  would  hardly  please  one  of  the 
strong-minded  sisterhood,  for  there  is  an  indication  of 
command  and  domination  in  his  manner,  doubtless 
arising  from  his  military  experience. 

As  the  two  gentlemen  discuss  their  supper,  their  con- 
versation first  turns  on  business  ;  though,  from  Law- 
rence's remarks  it  is  apparent  there  is  a  conflicting 
interest  in  his  mind,  that  of  the  young  lady  whom  he 
has  just  seen  down-stairs. 

"You  don't  think  that  milliard  going  to  the  Ger- 
mans will  affect  the  sale  of  the  Mineral  Hill  Mine," 
asks  Harry,  earnestly,  opening  the  conversation. 

"  Not  at  all,"  replies  the  lawyer.  "  No  fluctuation  in 
funds  can  affect  the  capital  the  English  company  is 
about  to  invest,  and  has  already  deposited  in  the  bank 
for  that  purpose." 

"  Then  what  more  do  they  want  ?  The  mine  has 
already  been  reported  upon  favorably  by  their  experts 
and  engineers." 

"  They  insist,  however,  upon  a  title  without  contest," 
returns  Southmead. 

"  Why,  you  yourself  have  stated  that  our  title  to  the 
Mineral  Hill  was  without  flaw,"  interjects  the  young  man 
hastily. 

"  Certainly,"  answers  the'  lawyer  ;  "  but  not  without 
contest.  I  have  to-day  received  a  letter  from  Utah,  stat- 
ing that  there  is  apt  to  be  litigation  in  regard  to  your 
property.  If  so,  it  must  certainly  delay  its  sale." 

"  Oh,  I  know  what  you  mean,"  cries  Harry,  a  deter- 
mined expression  coming  into  his  eyes.  "  It  is  those  in- 
fernal Mormons  !  When  we  made  the  locations  in  Tintic, 
there  was  not  a  stake  driven  in  the  District,  but  now  word 
has  been  given  out  by  Father  Brigham  to  his  followers 
that  as  it  is  impossible  to  stop  the  entry  of  Gentiles  into 
Utah  for  the  purpose  of  mining,  the  Latter-Day  Saints  had 
best  claim  all  the  mines  they  can  under  prior  locations 


12  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

and  get  these  properties  for  themselves,  as  far  as  possible. 
Consequently,  a  Mormon  company  has  been  started,  who 
have  put  in  a  claim  of  prior  location  to  a  portion  of  one 
of  our  mines,  without  any  more  right  to  it  than  I  have  to 
this  restaurant.  And  what  do  you  think  the  beggars  call 
themselves  ?  Why,  Zion's  Co-operative  Mining  Com- 
pany." Here  he  laughs  a  little  bitterly  and  continues  : 
"It  was  Zion's  Co-operative  Commercial  Institutions,  and 
now  it  is  Zion's  Co-operative  Mining  Companies.  Those 
fellows  drag  in  the  Lord  to  help  them  in  every  iniquitous 
scheme  for  despoiling  the  Gentile." 

"  All  the  same,"  replies  the  lawyer,  "  if  you  wish  to 
make  the  sale  of  your  property  to  the  English  company 
that  I  represent,  you  had  better  compromise  the  matter 
with  them.  I  sharn't  permit  my  clients  to  buy  a  law- 
suit." 

"  Compromise  ?  Never  !  "  answers  the  other  impul- 
sively. Then  he  goes  on  more  contemplatively :  "  And 
yet  I  wish  to  make  the  sale  more  than  ever.  You  see, 
the  price  we  name  for  the  property  is  an  honest  one.  It 
is  worth  every  dollar  of  the  five  hundred  thousand  we 
ask  for  it." 

"  Then,  why  not  work  it  yourself  ? "  asks  the  lawyer. 

"  Simply  because  I  have  got  tired  of  living  the  life  of 
a  barbarian— surrounded  by  barbarians.  It  was  well 
enough  to  spend  four  years  of  early  manhood  in  camps 
and  battles,  three  others  in  building  a  big  railroad,  and 
three  more  in  the  excitement  of  mining,  away  from  the 
convenances  and  graces  of  life  that  only  come  with  the 
presence  of  refined  women  ;  but  now  I  am  tired  of  it, 
more  so  than  ever  since  I  have  seen  that  young  lady 
down-stairs." 

"  Ah  !  still  going  back  to  Miss  Travenion  ? "  laughs 
the  lawyer. 

"You  know  her  name  then?"  cries  the  captain,  sud- 
denly. 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  13 

"  Yes,"  says  the  other.  "  I  happened  to  be  impatient 
for  your  coming.  The  evening  was  sultry.  I  walked 
out  of  the  room,  looked  down  the  stairs  and  saw  your 
act  of  gallantry." 

"Ah,  since  you  know  her  name,  you  must  know 
her  ! '" 

"  Quite  well ;  I  am  her  trustee." 

"  Her  trustee  ! "  cries  Harry  Lawrence  impulsively. 
"  Her  guardian  ?  You  will  introduce  me  to  her  ?  This 
is  luck,"  and  before  the  old  gentleman  can  interrupt 
him,  the  Westerner  has  seized  his  hand  and  given  it  a 
squeeze  which  he  remembers  for  some  five  minutes. 

"  I  said  her  trustee  ;  not  her  guardian,"  answers  the 
lawyer  cautiously.  "  If,  as  your  manner  rather  indicates, 
you  have  designs  upon  the  young  lady's  heart,  you  had 
better  get  a  reply  from  her  father." 

"  Her  father  is  living  then  ? " 

"  Certainly.  Last  January  you  could  have  seen  him 
any  afternoon  in  the  windows  of  the  Unity  Club  looking 
at  the  ladies  promenading  on  the  Avenue,  just  as  he  used 
to  do  when  he  lived  here,  and  was  a  man  about  town, 
and  club  habitue  and  heavy  swell.  Ralph  Travenion  has 
gone  West  again,  however,  but  I  have  not  heard  of  his 
death." 

"  Then  for  what  reason  does  his  daughter  need  a 
trustee  ? " 

"  Well,  if  you  will  listen  to  me  and  smoke  your  cigar 
in  silence,"  says  Southmead,  for  they  have  arrived  at  that 
stage  of  the  meal.  "  Erma  Lucille  Travenion " 

"  Erma — Lucille — Travenion  !  "  mutters  the  young 
man,  turning  the  words  over  very  tenderly  as  if  they 
were  sweet  morsels  on  his  tongue.  "Erma — Lucille — 
Travenion, — what  a  beautiful  name." 

"  Hang  it,  don't  interrupt  me  and  don't  look  roman- 
tic," laughs  the  lawyer. 

But  here  a  soft-treading  waiter  knocks  upon  the  door 


T4  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

and  says:  "Mr.  Ferdinand  Rives  Chauncey  would  like 
to  see  you  half  a  minute,  Mr.  Southmead." 

And  with  the  words,  the  young  gentleman  announced, 
a  dapper  boy  of  about  nineteen,  faultlessly  clad  in  the 
evening  dress  of  that  period,  enters  hastily  and  says  : 
"My  dear  Mr.  Southmead,  Mrs.  Livingston  has  com- 
missioned me  to  ask  you  if  you  won't  come  down  and 
join  her  for  a  few  moments.  Oh,  I  beg  pardon—  He 
pauses  and  gives  a  look  expectant  of  introduction 
towards  Harry  Lawrence.  The  lawyer,  following  his 
glance,  presents  the  two  young  men,  and  after  acknowl- 
edging it,  Chauncey  proceeds  glibly,  "  Awful  sorry  to 
have  interrupted  you." 

"Won't  you  sit  down  and  have  a  glass  of  wine  and  a 
cigar  ? "  says  Southmead  hospitably. 

"Yes,  just  one  glass  and  one  cigar — a  baby  cigar — 
they  remind  me  of  cigarettes.  I  have  not  more  than  a 
moment  to  deliver  my  message.  You  see,  Mrs.  Ogden 
Livingston  has  just  come  back  from  Newport,  and 
to-night  gave  a  little  theatre  party  :  Daly's  '  Divorce,' 
Clara  Morris,  Fanny  Davenport,  Louis  James  and  James 
Lewis,  etc.  Have  you  seen  Lewis's  Templeton  Jitt  ?  It 
is  immense.  That  muff,  Oliver,  actually  giggled,"  babbles 
this  youth,  commonly  called  by  his  intimates  Ferdie. 

"  So,  Mr.  Oliver  Livingston  laughed  ?  It  must  have 
been  very  funny,"  remarks  Whitehouse  affably. 

"  Didn't  he,  when  Jitt,  the  lawyer,  got  his  ears  boxed 
instead  of  the  husband  he  was  suing  for  divorce.  You 
want  to  see  that  play,  Southmead  ;  it  might  give  you 
points  in  your  next  application  for  alimony." 

"  I  am  not  a  divorce  lawyer,"  cries  the  attorney  rather 
savagely. 

"Oh,  no  telling  what  might  happen  in  your  swell 
clientele,  some  day,"  giggles  Ferdie.  "But  Ollie  was 
scandalized  at  the  placing  of  a  minister  on  the  stage — 
an  Episcopal  minister,  too." 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  15 

"  Does  he  expect  to  use  an  Episcopal  minister  soon  ? " 
asks  the  lawyer,  suggestively. 

"  Not  very  soon,  judging  by  the  young  lady,"  grins 
Ferdie.  "  The  only  time  Miss  Dividends " 

"  What  the  dickens  do  you  call  Miss  Travenion  Miss 
Dividends  for  ? "  interrupts  Whitehouse  testily. 

"  You  ought  to  know  best ;  you're  her  trustee,"  returns 
the  youth.  "  Besides,  every  one  called  her  that  at  New- 
port this  season,  especially  the  other  girls,  she  is  so 
stunning  and  they  envied  her  so.  Lots  of  money,  lots 
of  beaux  and  more  of  beauty.  If  she  didn't  have  a  level 
head,  it  would  be  turned." 

"Yes,  she  has  got  a  brain  like  her  father.  Besides, 
Mrs.  Livingston  keeps  a  very  sharp  eye  on  her,"  remarks 
Southmead. 

"  Don't  she  though  ? "  chimes  in  Mr.  Chauncey.  "  Look 
at  to-night.  The  widow  invited  your  humble  servant  to 
take  care  of  the  Amory  girl,  so  that  Ollie  could  have 
full  swing  with  Miss  Dividends — I  mean  Erma.  We  are 
all  having  supper  in  the  Chinese-room.  Mrs.  Livingston 
wishes  to  see  you  for  a  moment  on  business ;  Miss 
Travenion  on  more  important  business.  They  chanced 
to  mention  it,  and  knowing  your  habits,  I  thought  it  very 
probable  you  were  at  supper  here.  I  told  them  I  could 
find  you  if  you  were  in  the  building.  I  roamed  through 
the  cafe  and  inquired  of  Rimmer,  and  he  suggested  you 
were  upstairs.  The  head  waiter  in  the  restaurant  cor- 
roborated him.  It  won't  keep  you  long.  Miss  Travenion 
and  Mrs.  Livingston  wish  to  see  you  particularly.  They 
are  very  busy." 

"  Busy  !  "  cries  the  lawyer.  "  What  have  those  two 
birds  of  Paradise  to  do  with  business  ? " 

"  They  are  packing.  They  wish  to  know  if  you  can 
possibly  call  on  them  to-morrow  afternoon." 

"  To-morrow  afternoon,  Captain  Lawrence's  business 
compels  my  attention." 


l6  MISS    DIVIDENDS. 

"Ah,  then,  to-morrow  evening." 

"  Unfortunately  I  have  promised  to  deliver  an  address 
at  the  Bar  Association  Dinner." 

"  Very  well,  to-morrow  morning." 

"  Still  this  young  gentleman's  business,"  remarks  Mr. 
Southmead.  "  It  is  important  and  immediate." 

"Oh,  very  well,  then,"  returns  Ferdie  ;  "suppose  you 
come  down  to  our  supper  party  now!  I  know  what 
Mrs.  Livingston  wants  to  say  to  you,  won't  take  over 
three  minutes,  and  Miss  Travenion  won't  occupy  you 
five.  Come  down  and  join  us  ?  We  are  pretty  well 
finished." 

"  But  this  young  gentleman,"  remarks  Whitehouse, 
smiling  at  Lawrence. 

"  Oh,  bring  Captain  Lawrence  down  with  you,"  and 
before  Southmead  can  reply  to  this  request,  which  is 
given  in  an  off-hand,  snappy  kind  of  a  way,  Ferdie  finds 
his  hand  grasped  warmly  in  a  set  of  bronzed  maniples 
and  !}arry  Storey  Lawrence  looking  into  his  eyes  with  a 
face  full  of  gratitude,  and  saying  to  him,  "  Certainly  !  I 
will  run  down  with  you  with  the  greatest  pleasure." 

"  But — "  interjects  Southmead. 

"  Oh,  it  will  not  inconvenience  me  in  the  slightest.  It 
will  be  rather  a  pleasure,"  cries  the  Westerner. 

And  before  he  can  urge  any  further  objection  to  Mr. 
Ferdinand  Chauncey's  proposed  move,  the  two  younger 
men  have  left  the  room  and  are  walking  down-stairs,  and 
the  lawyer  has  nothing  to  do  but  to  follow  after  them  as 
rapidly  as  possible. 

The  door  of  the  Chinese-room  is  opened  for  Mr. 
Chauncey.  As  he  looks  in  one  thought  strikes  the  mind 
of  the  mining  man,  and  that  is, — If  you  would  thor- 
oughly appreciate  the  beauty  of  women,  be  without 
their  society  for  a  few  months.  Then  you  will  know 
why  men  rave  about  them,  why  men  die  for  them. 

No  prettier  sight  has  ever  come  before  the  eyes  of  this 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  If 

young  Westerner, — who  has  still  the  fire  of  youth  in  his 
veins,  but  whose  life  has  kept  him  away  from  nearly  all 
such  scenes  as  tm's, — than  this  one  he  gazes  on  with 
beaming  eyes,  flushed  face,  a  slight  trembling  of  his 
stalwart  limbs.  This  room,  made  bright  by  Chinese 
decorations  and  Oriental  color,  illuminated  by  the  soft 
wax  lights  of  the  supper  table,  and  made  radiant  by  the 
presence  of  lovely  women — one  of  whom — the  one  his 
eyes  seek — the  like  of  which  he  has  never  seen  before — 
Erma  Travenion. 


CHAPTER  II. 

MISS    EAST. 

THE  girl  stands  in  an  easy,  but  vivacious,  attitude. 
She  has  just  been  telling  some  story,  and  growing  excited, 
has  got  to  acting  it,  to  the  derangement  but  beauty  of  her 
toilet,  as  a  little  bonnet  made  all  of  pansies  has  fallen, 
and  hanging  by  two  light  blue  ribbons,  adorns  her 
white  neck  instead  of  her  fair  hair,  which,  disordered  by 
her  enthusiasm,  has  become  wavy,  floating  and  gold  in  the 
light,  and  red  bronze  in  the  shadow. 

The  party  having  left  the  supper  table  with  its  fruit, 
flowers,  crystal,  silverware  and  decorated  china,  are 
grouped  about,  looking  at  her. 

The  chaperon,  Mrs.  Livingston,  standing  near  the 
door,  is  a  widow  and  forty-five,  though  still  comely  to 
look  upon,  and  the  girl  behind  her  is  interesting  in  her 
own  peculiar  style,  being  piquant  and  pretty.  Though 
it  is  late  in  September  the  weather  is  still  quite  warm,  and 
dressed  in  the  light  summer  costumes  of  1871,  which 
gave  as  charming  glimpses  of  white  necks  and  dazzling 
arms  as  those  of  to-day,  either  lady  would  attract  the 
eyes  of  men:  but  the  glorious  beauty  of  Erma  Travenion 
still  holds  the  Westerner's  gaze. 


l8  MISS    DIVIDENDS. 

Eyes  draw  eyes,  and  the  young  lady  returns  his  glance 
for  a  second. 

Then  Mrs.  Livingston  speaks  :  "  Why,  Chauncey,"  she 
says,  "  I  thought  you  were  going  to  bring  Mr.  South- 
mead." 

"  And  I  have  brought  his  client,"  laughs  Ferdie.  "  Mr. 
Southmead  will  be  here  in  a  minute.  He  was  engaged 
with  Captain  Lawrence  and  could  not  leave  him.  So  I 
took  the  liberty  and  persuaded  Captain  Lawrence  to  join 
us  also.  But  permit  me,"  and  he  presents  his  companion 
in  due  form  to  the  hostess  of  the  evening. 

While  Harry  is  making  his  bow,  Mr.  Southmead 
enters. 

"Ah,  Chauncey,"  he  says  laughingly,  "you  have  made 
the  introduction,  I  see.  But  still,  Mrs.  Livingston,  I 
think  I  can  give  you  some  information  about  Captain 
Lawrence  which  Ferdinand  does  not  possess.  He  is  a 
rara  avis.  He  has  not  opened  his  mouth  to  a  beautiful 
woman  for  eight  months." 

"  Excuse  me,"  interposes  Lawrence  gallantly.  "  That 
was  before  I  had  spoken  to  Mrs.  Livingston." 

This  happy  shot  makes  the  widow  his  friend  at  once. 
She  says  :  "  Not  spoken  to  a  beautiful  woman  for  eight 
months !  Surely  there  could  be  no  beautiful  women 
about,"  and  her  eyes  emphasize  her  words  as  she  looks 
with  admiration  on  the  athletic  symmetry  the  young 
Western  man  displays  under  his  broadcloth  evening 
dress. 

"  Not  spoken  to  a  beautiful  woman  for  eight  months  !  " 
This  is  an  astonished  echo  from  the  two  young  ladies. 

"  Yes,"  replies  Southmead  laughing.  "  He  has  been 
in  southern  Utah.  He  only  stopped  over  night  in  Salt 
Lake  City  on  his  trip  to  New  York  ;  he  comes  from  the 
wilds  of  the  Rocky  Mountains." 

"  The  Rocky  Mountains  ? "  cries  Erma,  whose  eyes 
seem  to  take  sudden  interest  at  the  locality  mentioned. 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  19 

A  moment  after,  Mrs.  Livingston  hastily  presents  the 
Western  engineer.  "  Miss  Amory — Miss  Travenion  : 
Captain  Lawrence." 

"  Not  heard  the  voice  of  beauty  for  eight  months  ? 
That  is  severe  for  a  military  man,  Captain  Lawrence," 
laughs  Miss  Amory,  her  eyes  growing  bright,  for  she  is 
in  the  habit  of  going  to  West  Point,  to  graduating  exer- 
cises, and  loving  cadets  and  brass  buttons  generally  and 
awfully. 

"  I  was  once  Captain  of  an  Iowa  battery,"  answers 
Harry  ;  "  for  some  years  after  that  I  was  a  civil  engineer 
on  the  Union  Pacific  Railway,  and  for  the  last  three  I 
have  been  a  mining  engineer  in  Utah." 

"  On  the  Union  Pacific  Railway,"  says  Miss  Travenion, 
her  eyes  growing  more  interested.  ''  Then  perhaps  you 
know  my  father.  Won't  you  sit  beside  me  ?  I  should 
like  to  ask  you  a  few  questions.  But  let  me  present  Mr. 
Oliver  Ogden  Livingston,  Captain  Lawrence."  She  in- 
troduces in  the  easy  manner  of  one  accustomed  to 
society  the  Westerner  to  a  gentleman  who  has  arisen 
from  beside  her. 

This  being  remarks,  "  Awh  !  delighted,"  with  a  slight 
English  affectation  of  manner,  which  in  1871  was  very 
uncommon  in  America,  and  reseats  himself  beside  Miss 
Travenion. 

"  There  is  another  chair  on  my  other  hand,"  says  the 
young  lady,  indicating  the  article  in  question,  and  look- 
ing rather  sneeringly  at  Mr.  Oliver  for  his  by  no  means 
civil  performance. 

Consequently,  a  moment  after  the  young  man  finds 
himself  beside  Miss  Travenion,  though  Mr.  Livingston 
has  destroyed  a  tete-a-tete  by  sitting  upon  the  other  hand 
of  the  beauty. 

Ferdie  has  grouped  himself  with  Miss  Amory  and  is 
entering  into  some  society  small  talk  or  gossip  that 
apparently  interests  her  greatly,  as  she  gives  out  every 


20  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

now  and  then  excited  giggles  and  exclamations  at  the 
young  man's  flippant  sentences. 

Mrs.  Livingston  is  occupied  with  Mr.  Southmead,  who 
has  just  said  :  "  You  brought  Louise  with  you  from 
Newport  ? " 

"  Of  course,"  answers  the  widow.  "  We  have  left 
there  for  the  season."  Then  noticing  that  the  gentle- 
man's glance  is  wandering  about  the  room,  she  con- 
tinues :  "  You  need  not  hope  to  find  Louise  here.  She 
is  only  sixteen — too  young  for  theatre  parties.  The 
child  is  in  bed  and  asleep."  A  moment  after  their 
voices  are  lowered,  apparently  discussing  some  business 
matter. 

During  this,  Erma  Travenion  appears  to  be  consider- 
ing some  proposition  in  her  mind.  This  gives  Lawrence 
a  chance  to  contemplate  her  more  minutely  than  when 
he  picked  up  her  fan  on  the  staircase  or  as  he  entered 
the  room.  He  repeats  the  inspection,  with  the  same 
decision  intensified  :  she  is  the  most  beautiful  woman  he 
has  ever  seen  ;  but,  dominating  even  her  beauty,  is  that 
peculiar  and  radiant  thing  we  call  the  charm  of  manner. 

Seated  in  a  languid,  careless,  dreamy  way,  as  if  her 
thoughts  were  far  from  this  brilliant  supper-room,  the 
unstudied  pose  of  her  attitude,  gives  additional  femi- 
ninity to  her  graceful  figure  ;  for,  when  self-conscious, 
Miss  Travenion  has  an  appearance  of  coldness,  even 
hauteur;  but  there  is  none  of  this  now. 

Her  well-proportioned  head,  supported  by  a  neck  of 
enchanting  whiteness,  is  lighted  by  two  eyes  which  would 
be  sapphires,  were  they  not  made  dazzling  by  the  soul 
that  shines  through  them,  reflecting  each  emotion  of  her 
vivacious  yet  brilliant  mind.  Her  forehead  has  that 
peculiar  breadth,  which  denotes  that  intellect  would 
always  dominate  passion,  were  it  not  for  her  lips  that 
indicate  when  she  loves,  she  will  love  with  her  whole 
heart.  Her  figure,  betwixt  girlhood  and  womanhood, 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  21 

retains  the  graces  of  one  and  the  contours  of  the 
other.  The  dress  she  wears  brings  all  this  out  with  won- 
derful distinctness,  for  it  is  jet  black,  even  to  its  laces, — 
a  color  which  segregates  her  from  the  more  brilliant 
decorations  of  the  room,  outlining  her  exquisite  arms, 
shoulders  and  bust,  in  a  way  that  would  make  her  seem 
a  statue  of  ebony  and  ivory,  were  it  not  for  the  delicate 
pink  of  her  lips  and  nostrils  as  she  softly  breathes,  the 
slight  compression  of  her  brows,  and  the  nervous  tapping 
of  her  little  foot  that  just  shows  itself  in  dainty  boot 
beneath  the  laces  of  her  robe.  These  indicate  that 
youthful  and  enthusiastic  life  will  in  a  moment  make 
this  dreaming  figure  a  vivacious  woman. 

As  Lawrence  thinks  this,  action  comes  to  her.  She 
says  impulsively  :  "  You  must  let  me  thank  you  again  for 
the  attention  you  showed  me  on  the  stairway." 

"  What  attention  ? "  asks  Mr,  Oliver  Livingston, 
waking  up  also. 

"  Something  you  were  too  occupied  with  yourself  to 
notice,"  smiles  the  young  lady.  "  I  dropped  my  fan  as 
we  entered  this  evening,  and  this  gentleman,  though  he 
did  not  know  me,  was  kind  enough  to  pick  it  up.  But," 
she  continues  suddenly,  "  Captain  Lawrence,  you  can  do 
me  a  much  greater  favor." 

"  Indeed  !     How  ?  "  is  Harry's  eager  answer. 

"  You  say  that  you  have  been  an  engineer  upon  the 
Union  Pacific  Railway.  What  portion  of  it  ?  " 

"  From  Green  River  to  Ogden,  though  I  was  employed 
as  assistant  at  one  time  at  Cheyenne." 

"  From  Green  River  to  Ogden  !  Then  you  must  have 
met  my  father,  Ralph  Harriman  Travenion." 

"  No,  I  never  had  that  pleasure,"  answers  the  young 
man,  after  a  moment's  consideration. 

"  But  you  must  have  !  "  cries  the  girl  impulsively. 
"  He  was  one  of  the  largest  contractors  on  that  portion 
of  the  road." 


22  MISS    DIVIDENDS. 

"  Your  father — a  railroad  contractor  ?"  answers  Harry, 
opening  his  eyes,  which  appear  to  the  young  lady  very 
large,  earnest,  and  flashing  compared  to  the  rather  effem- 
inate ones  of  Mr.  Livingston. 

"  Not  in  New  York,"  laughs  Ollie,  waving  'his  white 
hands.  "  When  here,  Mr.  Travenion  is  one  of  our  lead- 
ing fashionables.  Did  you  see  any  one  dance  more  grace- 
fully than  your  father  did  last  winter,  Miss  Erma? — 
though  I  believe  he  did  have  something  to  do  with  the 
building  of  the  railway  out  there." 

"  I  don't  see  how  that  was  possible,"  suggests  Law- 
rence. "  I  and  my  assistants  figured  all  the  cross-sec- 
tionings  of  that  portion  of  the  work,  and  I  know  that  none 
were  accredited  to  Ralph  Travenion.  Our  largest  con- 
tractors were  Little  &  Co.,  Tranyon  &  Co.,  Amos  Jen- 
nings, George  H.  Smith,  and  Brigham  Young — nearly  all 
Mormons." 

"  You  are  sure  ? "  says  the  young  lady,  knitting  her 
brows  as  if  in  thought. 

"  Certainly  !  " 

"  This  is  very  curious.  Why,  I  have  even  had  letters 
from  him  on  Union  Pacific  paper." 

"  Perhaps  he  was  a  silent  partner  in  one  of  the  com- 
panies," suggests  Lawrence,  who  is  very  much  astonished 
to  find  a  girl  in  New  York's  most  exclusive  set,  as  Miss 
Travenion  evidently  is,  connected  so  intimately  with 
one  of  the  builders  of  a  railway  in  the  Far  West. 

"  Perhaps  you  are  right,"  says  the  young  lady  con- 
templatively. "However,  I  will  know  all  about  it  my- 
self in  a  few  weeks." 

"  He  is  coming  to  visit  you,  I  presume  ?  " 

"  No,  but  I  am  going  to  take  a  trip  to  California  with 
Mrs.  Livingston  and  her  party,"  remarks  Erma,  "and 
en  route  I  expect  to  meet  him — my  dear  father,  whom 
I  haven't  seen  for  half  a  year  !  "  and  the  girl's  eyes  light 
up  with  sudden  tenderness  and  pleasure.  "  Apropos  of 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  23 

the  trip — excuse  me."  Here  she  rises  suddenly  and 
passes  to  the  family  lawyer. 

At  his  side  she  says  :  "  Mr.  Southmead,  if  you  have 
finished  your  business  with  Mrs.  Livingston,  I  have  some 
for  you.  I  want  to  inform  you  that  Mrs.  Livingston,  her 
daughter  Miss  Louise,  her  son  Mr.  Chauncey,  and  my- 
self, intend  to  take  a  trip  to  California,  and  to  ask  you, 
as  my  trustee,  if  you  have  any  objection  to  the  same. 
I  presume  that  it  is  a  mere  form,  as  you  are  not  my 
guardian." 

"  You  have  written  to  your  father  ? "  asks  Whitehouse 
hastily. 

"  No,"  laughs  the  girl.  "  I  intend  it  to  be  a  surprise 
to  papa." 

"  Then,  let  me  suggest,"  answers  the  lawyer,  some- 
thing of  a  shade  passing  over  his  brow,  "that  you  write 
to  Mr.  Travenion  first." 

"  Impossible  !  We  have  not  time  !  We  leave  "in  three 
days  !  Fancy — in  a  little  over  a  week  I  shall  see  my 
father.  You  wouldn't  deprive  me  of  that  pleasure, 
would  you,  Mr.  Southmead  ?  " 

"  No !   but  I  would  suggest  that  you  telegraph  him." 

"  I  can't.  I  have  not  heard  from  papa  for  two 
weeks,  and  I  do  not  know  his  address.  Besides,  it  will 
be  such  a  surprise  !  "  Miss  Travenion  has  thrown  away 
contemplation  from  her,  and  is  all  brightness  and  gayety. 

"  Of  course  I  can  have  no  objections,"  says  Whitehouse. 

"  Then  you  don't  think  it  wise  ? "  mutters  the  girl, 
with  a  pout. 

"  I  don't  say  that.  I  have  no  doubt  it  is  all  right,  and 
I  know  your  father  will  be  pleased  to  see  you." 

"  I  should  think  so  !  The  idea  of  anything  else ! 
You  know  I  am  the  apple  of  his  eye  !  " 

"  Yes,  I  know  that,"  remarks  Southmead  decidedly. 

"Very  well,  then,"  returns  Miss  Travenion;  "will 
you  be  kind  enough  to  get  me  a  letter  of  credit  on 


24  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

California  and  the  West  for — for  twenty  thousand 
dollars." 

This  amount  for  a  two  or  three  months'  pleasure 
trip  makes  Lawrence  open  his  eyes,  and  the  lawyer  gives 
a  little  deprecating  shrug  of  the  shoulders. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  mean  to  spend  it  all"  cries  Erma.  "  I 
am  not  so  extravagant  as  that.  Still,  it  might  be  con- 
venient. I  might  want  to  buy  something  in  the  West. 
Please  get  it  by  to-morrow  for  me." 

"  Not  later,  any  way,  than  the  day  after,"  interjects 
Mrs.  Livingston.  "  It  is  impossible  to  put  off  our 
trip." 

"  Oh,  it  had  all  been  decided  before  you  saw  me  ? " 
laughs  Southmead. 

"  Certainly.  We  didn't  propose  to  have  any  objection 
made  to  our  taking  Erma  with  us  on  our  trip,"  says  Mrs. 
Livingston,  leaving  Mr.  Ferdie  and  Miss  Amory,  and 
placing  a  plump  arm  round  Miss  Travenion's  waist. 

The  party  have  all  now  risen,  apparently  ready  to 
leave,  and  Lawrence  and  Southmead  are  compelled  to 
say  "  Good  evening." 

As  he  departs,  however,  Harry  astonishes  Miss  Tra- 
venion.  She  is  a  little  in  advance  of  her  party,  and 
offers  him  her  hand  cordially,  saying,  "  Were  we  not  in 
disorder  on  account  of  our  preparations  for  departure, 
I  should  ask  you  to  come  and  see  me,  Captain  Law- 
rence." 

"  As  it  is,"  answers  the  young  man,  "  I  hope  to  see 
you  in  the  West." 

"  Ah,  you  expect  to  be  there  ? " 

"  Yes  ;  my  headquarters  must  be  in  Salt  Lake  for  the 
next  month  or  two." 

"  Why,  we  shall  be  there  also,"  cries  Erma.  "  You 
shall  show  me  over  your  city." 

"  Excuse  me,  I  am  not  a  Mormon ! "  answers  Law- 
rence grimly,  biting  the  end  of  his  moustache. 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  2$ 

"  Oh,  of  course  not !  I — I  beg  your  pardon.  Yes  ;  I 
remember  now— that  awful  sect  live  there — "  stammers 
Miss  Travenion.  "You'll  forgive  my  ignorance,  won't 
you  ?  "  Her  eyes  have  a  playful  pleading  in  them  that 
makes  her  judge  very  mild. 

"  On  one  condition  !  "  he  answers  eagerly  :  "  that  you 
surely  come  to  Salt  Lake." 

"  Certainly,"  answers  Miss  Penitent  ;  "  it  is  there  or  in 
Ogden  or  somewhere  about  the  Rocky  Mountains  I  hope 
to  meet  my  father." 

"  I  also  hope  to  meet  your  father  some  day,"  replies 
Harry,  in  a  tone  that  astonishes  the  girl,  for  her 
beautiful  eyes  have  made  him  forget  he  has  only  met 
her  ten  minutes. 

She  raises  these  to  his  inquiringly,  and  what  she  sees 
makes  her  cheeks  grow  red.  A  cordial  grip  upon  her 
fingers  is  emphasizing  this  rapid  gentleman's  speech. 

Miss  Travenion  draws  her  hand  hastily  from  his ;  then 
says  with  thoroughbred  coldness  and  hauteur,  "  Perhaps. 
Good  evening  ! "  turns  her  pretty  back  upon  him  and 
begins  to  converse  with  Mrs.  Livingston  and  her  party 
as  if  no  such  being  as  Harry  Storey  Lawrence  existed 
upon  this  earth. 

A  moment  after  the  Westerner  finds  himself  beside 
Southmead  strolling  up  Fifth  Avenue,  en  route  for  his 
hotel. 

"  I'll  go  with  you  as  far  as  the  Fifth  Avenue,"  remarks 
the  lawyer.  "  There  may  be  some  telegrams  awaiting 
you  on  your  mining  business." 

"  Delighted,"  says  the  young  man.  Then  he  breaks 
out  hurriedly  :  "  How  the  dickens  does  Miss  Travenion, 
who  is  apparently  a  butterfly  of  New  York  fashion,  have 
a  father  who,  she  says,  was  a  contractor  on  the  Union 
Pacific  Railway  ?  You,  as  her  trustee,  ought  to  know." 

"  Yes — I  know  !  "  returns  Southmead.  Then  after  a 
second's  pause  of  contemplation  he  continues :  "  And 


26  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

I'll  tell  you — it  may  save  you  getting  a  wild  idea  in  your 
head,  young  man.  Only  don't  look  romantic,  because  the 
young  lady  we  are  discussing  is  half-way  engaged  to 
another,  Mr.  Oliver  Ogden  Livingston." 

"  Half-way  engaged,"  ejaculates  Harry  with  a  sigh. 
Then  he  says  suddenly,  a  look  of  determination  coming 
into  his  eyes :  "  Half-way  is  sometimes  a  long  dis- 
tance from  the  winning  post,"  and  lapses  into  silence, 
smoking  his  cigar  in  a  nervous  but  savage  manner,  while 
the  lawyer  continues  his  conversation. 

"Miss  Erma  Travenion's  history  is  rather  a  curious 
one.  Her  father  is  an  old  friend  of  mine.  Her  mother 
was  an  old  friend  of  mine."  This  last  with  a  slight  sigh 
of  recollection.  "  Both  came  of  families  who  have  from 
colonial  times  occupied  leading  positions  in  Manhattan 
society.  Nearly  twenty-five  years  ago,  Ralph  Harriman 
Travenion  married  Ella  Travers  Schuyler,  one  of  the 
prettiest  girls  in  the  Manhattan  set  of  New  York  society. 
Four  years  after,  the  young  lady  we  are  discussing  came 
into  the  world.  When  she  was  about  ten,  her  mother  died, 
and  her  father  concentrated  his  affection,  apparently, 
on  his  only  daughter.  He  was  a  man  of  very  large  for- 
tune, a  member  of  the  leading  clubs,  on  the  governing 
committee  of  one  or  two  of  them,  a  man  about  town 
and  a  swell  among  swells. — But  perhaps  to  forget  his 
wife,  whom  I  know  he  loved  ;  during  the  sea  of  specula- 
tion that  came  with  the  Rebellion,  he  entered  largely  into 
dealing  in  stocks  and  gold,  in  an  easy-going  sybaritic 
kind  of  a  way — and  Wall  Street  made  almost  a  wreck 
of  what  had  once  been  a  very  fine  fortune.  This  blow 
to  his  pocket  was  a  blow  to  his  pride.  He  could  not 
endure  to  live  in  diminished  style  among  the  people 
who  had  known  him  as  millionnaire,  aristocrat,  and  ban 
vivant.  Shortly  after  he  sold  his  horses,  yacht,  villa 
in  Newport,  house  in  town,  in  short,  his  whole  extensive 
establishment,  and  placing  his  daughter,  who  was  about 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  27 

fourteen  years  of  age  at  that  time,  at  Miss  Hines'  Fash- 
ionable Academy,  in  Gramercy  Park,  he  went  West. 

"  When  he  did  so,  I  thought  it  was  wholly  from  pride. 
Now  I  have  become  satisfied  that  it  was  in  the  hope  of 
making  another  fortune,  so  that  when  she  arrived  at 
young  ladyhood,  Erma  Travenion  could  assume  the  posi- 
tion in  New  York  society  to  which  she  had  been  born." 

"  What  makes  you  think  this  ?  "  asks  Lawrence  hur- 
riedly. 

"  Her  father's  actions  since  that  time.  You  see,  the 
Travenions  and  Livingstons  had  always  been  great 
friends,  second  cousins  in  fact,  and  it  had  been  a  kind  of 
family  matter  and  understanding  that  when  Erma  grew 
up,  she  should  marry  Mr.  Oliver  Ogden  Livingston,  who 
was  then  but  a  boy. 

"  A — ah  !  He  is  the  son  of  the  lady  we  met  this  even- 
ing ! " 

"  Of  course  !  "  says  the  lawyer  sharply.  "  It  had 
been  mutually  understood  between  the  fathers  of  the  two 
children  that  each  should  settle  what  was  considered  in 
those  days  a  most  enormous  sum  upon  their  children, 
that  is,  one  million  dollars.  The  two  fathers  fondly 
hoped  and  expected  in  those  days  of  smaller  fortunes  that 
this  would  put  the  young  couple  on  the  very  top  of  New 
York  society.  When  Travenion  went  West,  Oliver's 
father  was  still  alive.  What  the  interview  between  the 
two  men  was,  I  do  not  know  ;  but  shortly  afterwards, 
Livingston  settled  his  one  million  dollars  upon  his  son, 
and  during  the  succeeding  year  died.  As  Mrs.  Living- 
ston was  very  ambitious  for  her  son  to  make  what  is 
called  a  grand  match,  it  was  generally  supposed  the 
compact  would  come  to  nothing,  when,  some  three  years 
later,  in  1868,  Mr.  Travenion  returned  from  the  West  and 
settled  on  his  daughter  three  hundred  thousand  dollars, 
making  the  Union  Trust  Company  of  New  York  and 
myself  co-trustees.  One  year  after  that  he  again  made 


28  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

his  appearance  here  and  settled  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars  more,  and  only  eight  months  ago  he  once  more 
returned  and  deposited  five  hundred  thousand  in  addi- 
tion, completing  the  sum  of  one  million  dollars,  which 
the  Union  Trust  Company  and  myself  hold  as  co-trus- 
tees for  his  daughter.  One  half  of  the  income  from 
this  is  to  be  paid  to  Erma  Travenion  until  she  is 
twenty-five  or  her  marriage.  In  case  of  her  marriage 
before  that  time  or  upon  her  arrival  at  the  age  of 
twenty-five,  we  are  to  pay  the  full  dividends  of  this 
one  million  dollar  investment  to  the  young  lady,  and 
at  the  age  of  thirty,  we  are  to  make  the  principal  over 
to  her,  subject  to  her  sole  control,  use  and  bequest." 

"I  am  sorry  you  told  me  this/'  says  Harry,  a  trace 
of  agitation  in  his  eyes,  and  a  slight  tremble  on  his 
moustachioed  lip. 

"  Sorry  ?  Why  ? "  asks  the  lawyer,  turning  and  look- 
ing at  the  young  man. 

The  answer  he  gets  astonishes  him. 

"  Because  I  mean  to  marry  her,"  says  the  Westerner 
determinedly,  "and  I  would  sooner  have  a  fortune  equal 
to  that  of  my  bride  ;  perhaps  sooner  have  her  with 
nothing." 

"  You  are  a  very  extraordinary  young  man,  then,"  com- 
ments Southmead.  "  But  I  think  her  father  would  not 
care  about  her  marrying  any  one  except  Oliver  Ogden 
Livingston." 

"  I  don't  imagine  any  father  would  care  about  seeing 
his  daughter  marry  that  young  man  I  saw  at  supper," 
remarks  Lawrence,  contemplatively,  between  puffs  of  his 
cigar. 

"  And  why  not  ? " 

"  Because  I  do  not  think  he  is  a  man,  anyway." 

"  Still,  I  think  Ralph  Travenion  wishes  his  daughter 
to  marry  Oliver  Livingston,  because  he  has  settled  his 
million  on  her." 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  29 

Here  Harry  astonishes  the  lawyer  again.  He  says 
shortly  :  "  Might  not  Ralph  Travenion  have  some  other 
reason  for  settling  the  million  dollars  on  his  daughter  ? " 

"  By  Jove  !  "  ejaculates  Southmead  in  astonishment. 
"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  I  don't  mean  anything  except  the  suggestion,"  re- 
marks the  young  man.  "But  here  we  are  in. the  Fifth 
Avenue,"  and  the  two  stride  into  that  great  hostelry 
together,  and  go  to  the  office,  where  the  clerk  says, 
"  Captain  Lawrence,  a  telegram  for  you."  After  a  glance 
at  its  address  Harry  tears  it  open,  and  with  a  suppressed 
exclamation  passes  the  despatch  to  his  companion. 

"Aha,  as  I  thought,"  remarks  Southmead,  glancing 
over  the  message.  "  The  Zion's  Co-operative  Mining 
Institution  has  brought  suit  for  part  of  your  Mineral 
Hill  property.  Unless  you  compromise,  this  will  delay 
the  English  sale." 

"Yes,  this  takes  me  back  to  Utah  at  once,"  says  the 
young  man.  Then  he  adds  with  a  laughing  sigh  :  "  I 
need  that  five  hundred  thousand  dollars,  or  rather  my 
share  of  it,  as  soon  as  possible." 

"  Ah  !    But  why  this  hurry  ? " 

"Because  I'm  impatient  to  make  Erma  Travenion  my 
wife,"  says  the  young  man  determinedly  ;  "but  I  must  go 
up-stairs  to  pack  my  trunk,  so  as  to  get  off  by  the 
morning  train."  Then,  after  a  few  minutes'  hurried 
conversation  on  the  details  of  the  business,  he  bids 
Southmead  good-bye,  adding  :  "  Telegraph  me  any 
further  information  at  the  Sherman  House,  Chicago." 

"  You  are  going  to  Utah  to  compromise  this  matter  ? " 
asks  the  lawyer,  shaking  the  young  man's  hand. 

"  Never  !  "  says  Lawrence.  "  But,  for  all  that,  I  am 
going  to  have  a  try  for  the  girl." 

With  that  he  steps  into  the  elevator  of  the  Fifth 
Avenue  Hotel,  leaving  Whitehouse  Southmead  to  saunter 
to  the  Unity  Club  and  cards  in  rather  a  contemplative, 


30  MISS   DIVIDENDS, 

though  by  no  means  legal,  mood,  for  he  chuckles  to 
himself  :  "  Jove  !  If  that  rapid  Mr.  West  should  capture 
rich  and  lovely  Miss  East  ?  wouldn't  it  make  Mrs.  Liv- 
ingston wild  ? " 


CHAPTER    III. 
HER  FATHER'S  FRIEND. 

"MR.  KRUGER,  how  do  you  do?"  says  Miss  Erma 
Travenion,  some  three  days  after ;  turning  suddenly 
from  the  Cerberus  who  stands  at  the  gate  leading  to  the 
out-going  trains  of  the  Hudson  River  Railroad,  in  the 
Grand  Central  Depot,  New  York,  waiting  to  punch  her 
ticket.  Then  she  calls  again  with  the  bright,  fresh  voice 
of  youth  :  "  Mr.  Kruger !  Mr.  Kruger  !  Don't  you  recog- 
nize me  ? "  and  drawing  up  her  dainty  white  skirts  to 
give  her  pretty  feet  room  for  rapid  movement,  pursues  a 
gentleman  who,  in  the  rush  of  the  great  station,  appar- 
ently does  not  notice  her. 

The  ticket  puncher  looks  astonished  for  a  moment, 
and  then  promptly  and  savagely  cries,  "  Next !  " 

But  the  "  Next !  "  is  Mr.  Oliver  Ogden  Livingston, 
who  has  also  turned  from  the  entrance,  and  is  gazing 
after  Miss  Travenion,  an  occupation  his  eyes  have  be- 
come quite  used  to  in  the  last  few  months,  since  her 
father  had  finished  settling  his  million  upon  her. 

Livingston,  after  a  second's  pause  of  consideration, 
says  hurriedly  to  the  lady  who  comes  immediately  be- 
hind him,  "  Mother,  you  and  Louise  had  better  go  to 
our  car.  Ferdie  will  escort  you.  I  will  wait  for  Miss 
Travenion  and  see  her  on  board  before  the  train  starts." 

To  this,  Mrs.  Livingston,  who,  though  fair,  plump 
and  forty-five,  is  of  a  nervous  tendency,  cries  out, 
"  My  Heaven  !  She's  running  out  of  the  depot — she 
is  so  impulsive — if  anything  happens  to  Erma,  what 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  31 

shall  I  say  to  her  father  ?  "  And  the  chaperon  casts 
anxious  glances  on  her  charge,  who  is  still  moving  in 
pursuit  of  the  abstracted  Mr.  Kruger,  who  is  apparently 
looking  for  somebody  himself. 

"  NEXT  !  "  cries  the  ticket  man  savagely.  "  Don't 
block  the  way  !  " 

"  Ferdie,  take  us  in,"  whispers  Miss  Livingston,  who 
is  immediately  behind  her  mother,  and  is  sixteen,  pretty 
and  snippy.  "  That  gateman  looks  impatient." 

"  Quick,  Louise,  or  the  ticket  puncher  '11  mistake  my 
head  for  a  ticket,"  laughs  the  young  man.  Then  he 
cries,  "  Come  along,  auntie.  Don't  be  frightened.  You 
don't  suppose  Oliver  will  ever  lose  sight  of  Miss  Divi- 
dends ? "  And  with  a  passing  wink  of  inborn  knowledge 
to  Ollie,  which  is  returned  by  a  stare  prim  and  savage, 
Ferdie  rushes  his  aunt  and  Miss  Louise  past  the  portals, 
towards  a  private  Pullman  car,  the  last  of  an  express 
train  standing  ready  to  move  out  to  Chicago,  on  a  bright 
September  day,  of  the  year  of  our  Lord  1871. 

Livingston,  relieved  of  the  care  of  the  other  ladies  of 
his  party,  watches  his  valet,  assisted  by  two  maid- 
servants in  caps,  carrying  the  hand-satchels,  shawls,  and 
minor  baggage  of  the  party  to  the  car,  then  turns  his 
glance  towards  Miss  Travenion.  The  savageness  leaves 
his  eyes,  and  a  little  soft  passion  takes  its  place.  They 
follow  the  movements  of  the  girl  with  prim  rapture,  as 
well  they  may. 

Miss  Travenion  is  just  overtaking  the  man  she  is 
pursuing;  her  eyes,  intent  upon  her  chase,  sparkle  as 
blue  diamonds.  From  her  well-shaped  head  float,  after 
the  fashion  of  that  day,  two  long  curls  of  hair  that 
would  be  golden,  did  not  the  sun  seem  to  claim  them  as 
his  own,  and  permeating  them  with  his  fire,  make  each 
hair  as  brilliant  as  his  own  bright  rays.  Above  the  curls, 
a  summer  hat,  beneath  this,  waving  locks  that  crown  a 
marble  forehead,  perhaps  too  broad  for  ancient  sculptors' 


32  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

taste,  but  ideal  for  modern  artists,  who  love  soul  in 
woman  ;  cheeks  rosy  with  health,  lips  red  and  moist  as 
coral  washed  by  sea-spray,  the  upper  one  laughing,  the 
under  one  eager  ;  a  chin  that  tells  of  resolution,  a  figure 
light  as  a  fairy's,  but  with  the  contours  of  a  Venus; 
clothed  in  a  travelling  gown  that  does  not  disguise  the 
graces  that  it  robes  ;  one  eager  hand  outstretched  towards 
the  flitting  Kruger,  the  other  grasping  firmly,  yet  lightly, 
the  skirt  and  draping  it  about  her,  plucking  its  laces  and 
broideries  from  out  the  dust,  and  showing  as  she  trips 
along  a  foot  and  ankle  that  a  lover  would  rave  about — 
a  sculptor  mould. 

This  is  what  makes  Ollie  Livingston's  little  heart  beat 
one  or  two  pats  to  the  second  more  rapidly  than  normal, 
showing  how  small  his  soul,  how  puny  his  manhood,  for 
no  more  charming  girl  has  ever  been  looked  upon  than 
Erma  Travenion,  as  she  lays  her  well-gloved  patrician 
hand  upon  Lot  Kruger's  big  Western  arm,  even  amid 
the  crowds  of  this  great  railroad  station  of  New  York, 
where  beauties — American  beauties  at  that — have  given 
forth  to  admiring  humanity  each  glance  and  gesture,  grace 
and  tone,  that  allure  and  conquer  mankind. 

Mr.  Kruger,  also  in  pursuit  of  some  one,  has  just  found 
his  man,  and  thus  Erma  is  enabled  to  overtake  him.  As 
she  comes  up  he  is  in  such  earnest  conversation  with  a 
small,  weazened-face,  ferret-like  individual  that  he  does 
not  note  the  approaching  beauty. 

Were  Miss  Travenion  intent  upon  anything  but  speak- 
ing to  the  Westerner  she  could  hardly  avoid  appreciating 
the  peculiarity  of  the  interview  she  is  breaking  in  upon — 
Kruger  all  command,  the  other  answering  with  a  docility 
unusual  among  Americans,  and  at  times  saluting  in 
almost  a  cringing  manner  the  man  addressing  him.  As 
Erma  stands  for  a  moment  behind  Kruger,  she  hears  him 
say  tersely  and  sharply  to  his  companion  :  "  Jenkins, 
there  are  four  hundred  more  coming  on  the  Scotia,  due 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  33 

to-morrow,  and  three  hundred  here  now.  We  have  con- 
tracted with  the  Central  for  the  U.  P.  to  take  them  at 
forty  dollars  a  head.  The  other  crowd  I  will  wait  for." 

Mr.  Jenkins's  reply  Miss  Travenion  does  not  catch,  as 
she  places  her  hand  on  Lot  Kruger's  arm  and  he  swings 
around  suddenly  and  quickly  to  see  who  interrupts  him. 
His  face  for  a  moment  has  a  startled  and  annoyed,  perhaps 
an  angry,  expression  upon  it,  but  as  he  turns  and  gazes 
upon  Erma,  smiles  chase  sternness  away  from  his  features, 
even  as  they  did  upon  Livingston's  flaccid  face  ;  the 
young  lady's  beauty  seeming  to  have  a  similar  effect 
upon  both  men,  though  Kruger's  virile  passion  is  ten 
times  as  strong  as  that  of  the  prim  New  Yorker. 

Miss  Travenion  says  hurriedly  :  "  Mr.  Kruger,  I  saw 
you  here.  I  couldn't  help  following  you.  You  have  just 
come  from  the  West — you  have  seen  my  father  lately  ? 
Tell  me,  is  he  well  ?  I  haven't  had  a  letter  from  him  for 
a  fortnight." 

He  cries,  "  Miss  Ermie,  I  am  mighty  glad  your 
daddy  hain't  written,  for  if  he  had,  I  guess  I  shouldn't 
have  heard  your  pretty  voice,  unless  I  hunted  you  up  at 
your  boarding-school." 

"Oh,  you  wouldn't  have  found  me  there.  I  have  not 
been  at  Miss  Hines'  for  nearly  ten  months." 

"  Ah,  I  see  :  graduated  in  all  the  arts  and  sciences  and 
music  and  etceteras,"  remarks  Kruger,  his  eyes,  piercing, 
though  gray,  looking  over  the  exquisite  girl  before  him, 
and  growing  red  and  inflamed  with  some  potent  emotion, 
as  he  concludes  rather  huskily :  "  I  might  have  seen 
you  have  left  school.  You  have  developed  as  be-uti- 
fu-l-ly  as  one  of  the  lambs  of  Zion,"  though,  even  as  he 
says  this,  Lot  Kruger  seems  to  repress  himself  and  from 
this  time  on  to  keep  a  tight  rein  upon  some  peculiarity 
that  is  strong  within  him. 

"  But  papa,  papa  ;  you  haven't  told  me  of  him,"  ex- 
claims the  young  lady,  who  seems  little  interested  in  Mr. 
3 


34  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

Kruger's  remarks,  and  only  intent  upon  information  as 
to  her  absent  loved  one,  for  as  she  speaks  of  her  father, 
the  girl's  voice  grows  soft,  and  tender  tears  come  into 
her  eyes. 

"  Oh,  your  dad's  all  right,  Sissy,"  goes  on  Kruger, 
in  his  easy  Western  way.  "  You  needn't  water  his  grave 
yit.  Reckon  your  pap  has  had  too  much  railroad  and 
mine  on  his  hands  to  be  able  to  even  eat  for  the  last 
month.  I  know,  for  I  am  interested  in  the  mine  a 
leetle."  Then  he  tells  her  quite  shortly  that  her  father 
has  so  many  big  enterprises  beyond  the  Rockies  that  he 
is  an  "uncommon  busy  man." 

As  he  does  so,  Erma  is  gazing  at  him  and  thinking 
what  an  extraordinary  individual  her  father  has  found  for 
a  partner,  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains  ;  for  Lot  Kruger, 
as  he  stands  before  her,  would  be  a  striking  figure,  even 
in  Western  America,  which  produces  curious  types  and 
more  curious  individuals. 

He  stands  six  feet  two  in  his  stockings,  and  has  pro- 
portionate shoulders  and  limbs,  which  are  covered  with 
ample  black  broadcloth,  after  the  Sunday-best-clothes 
Southern  and  Western  fashion  of  the  year  1871  ;  the 
coat  of  Prince  Albert  style,  open  and  unbuttoned  and 
falling  below  the  knees  of  his  trousers,  that  are  cut  in 
what  was  then  called  the  "peg-top"  pattern  ;  his  shirt 
front  as  ample  as  his  coat  is  large,  crumpled  and  pro- 
truding from  out  a  low-cut  vest  and  adorned  by  a  splash 
or  two  of  tobacco  juice  ;  his  hat  a  stove-pipe,  its  plush 
rumpled  and  brushed  against  the  grain, — all  make  him 
a  man  of  mark.  From  off  his  broad  shoulders  rises  a 
neck  strong  as  that  of  a  buffalo,  and  supporting  a  mas- 
sive head  covered  with  long  red  hair,  and  a  face  from 
the  nose  up  that  of  a  good-natured  Newfoundland,  but 
below  the  jaws  and  teeth  of  a  bull-dog  ;  the  eyes  gray  as 
a  grizzly's,  and  steely  when  in  anger  ;  while,  thrown  over 
all  this  is  a  kind  of  indescribable,  semi-Puritanical,  semi- 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  35 

theological  air  that  makes  one  wonder,  "  Is  this  man  a 
backwoods  preacher  turned  mining  speculator,  or  a 
reformed  cowboy  made  into  a  missionary  ? " 

At  present,  as  he  gazes  at  Miss  Travenion,  Lot  Kru- 
ger's  face  is  nearly  all  that  of  the  Newfoundland  dog  ; 
and  Erma,  though  she  thinks  him  a  curious  associate 
for  her  father,  with  his  Eastern  breeding  and  education 
and  New  York  manners,  still  considers  Mr.  Kruger, 
though  crude,  very  good-natured  and  rather  meek. 

Oh,  these  judgments  of  women,  whose  instinct  never 
mistakes  character— where  one  out  of  ten  women  guesses 
the  villain  at  sight  and  brags  of  it  forever,  the  other  nine 
mistaken  sisters  are  swindled  and  perchance  undone, 
and  say  nothing  about  woman's  unfailing  intuition,  but 
still  keep  on  guessing  wrong  until  the  crack  of  doom. 

As  Erma  gazes  on  Kruger  he  continues  :  "  Bound  for 
a  summer  jaunt,  I  guess,— some  watering  place  where 
the  boys  and  gals  will  have  a  high  time— Nar-regam- 
set  or  Newport  or  Sarietogy,  Miss  Ermie.  Your  dad  is 
very  liberal  to  you,  I  understand,— puts  up  the  green- 
backs in  wads." 

«  My  father  is  generosity  itself  to  me,"  returns  Miss 
Travenion  rather  haughtily,  for  she  is  by  no  means 
pleased  with  the  freedom  of  Mr.  Kruger's  remarks. 
"  But  the  Newport  season  is  finished,  and  I  have  ac- 
cepted Mrs.  Ogden  Livingston's  invitation  to  be  one 
of  her  party.  Under  her  charge  I  am  going  to  take 
a  run  across  the  continent,  and  en  route  for  Califor- 
nia I  shall  drop  in  upon  papa,  and  astonish  and  en- 
rapture him." 

«  Wh— e— w  !  "  This  would  be  a  prolonged  whistle, 
did  not  Kruger  check  it  savagely,  and  cut  it  off  in  the 
middle.  Then  he  goes  on  stammeringly,  but  eagerly  :— 
"  Your  dad  doesn't  know  of— of  your  intention  ?  "  an 
amazed  expression  lighting  up  his  honest  gray  eyes,  which 
is  forced  down  by  his  set,  calm,  repressive  lower  face. 


36  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

"  No,  he  doesn't  guess  that  I'm  coming.  Won't  it  be  a 
surprise  to  dear  papa  when  I  step  lightly  into  his  office, 
and  say  :  '  Behold  your  daughter  ! '  "  laughs  Erma. 

"Yes, — I— reckon  it  will  be  a — sockdolager!"  mut- 
ters her  father's  friend  contemplatively.  Then  says 
suddenly,  "  You  haven't  telegraphed  him  ?  " 

"  Certainly  not  ;  I  wish  to  surprise  him.  Besides,  I 
shall  be  with  him  almost  as  soon  as  a  telegram,  now  that 
this  wonderful  Pacific  Railway  is  finished,"  babbles  the 
girl.  "  It  will  only  take  seven  days  to  far-off  Califor- 
nia, and  Ogden  is  two  days  this  side  of  San  Francisco, 
I  understand." 

"Yes,  your  time-table's  all  right,"  returns  Mr.  Kruger. 
Then  he  asks  quietly,  "  Who's  in  your  party  ? " 

"  Oh,  Mrs.  Livingston,  of  course ;  her  daughter, 
Louise  ;  Mr.  Ferdinand  Chauncey,  her  nephew,  and  her 
son,  who  is  now  just  beside  me.  Mr.  Livingston,  Mr. 
Lot  Kruger,  my  father's  friend." 

The  two  men  acknowledge  this  introduction  ;  then 
Livingston  says  hastily,  "  Miss  Travenion,  excuse  me 
interrupting  your  conversation,  but  the  train  leaves  in 
five  minutes,  and  I  presume  my  mother  is  even  now 
anxious — perhaps  already  hysterical." 

"  Very  well,  then,"  returns  Erma.  "  Good-bye,  Mr. 
Kruger.  I  am  so  glad  to  hear  that  papa  is  all  right. 
Shall  we  see  you  in  the  West?  We  shall  be  in  California 
two  months,  and  perhaps  on  our  return — "  And  she 
extends  a  gracious  hand  to  the  Westerner. 

But  Lot  laughs:  "You'll  see  me  before  then.  I'm 
going  on  the  same  train.  You  needn't  have  run  after 
me,  if  you  had  known  that  I  go  out  on  the  Chicago 
express  also."  With  this,  he  gives  the  little  gloved  hand 
that  is  already  in  his  a  hearty  squeeze,  that  makes  the 
blood  fly  out  of  the  girl's  fingers  into  her  face,  and  turns 
hurriedly  to  the  man  he  had  previously  addressed,  who 
has  been  waiting  for  him  just  out  of  ear-shot. 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  37 

A  moment  after,  Miss  Travenion  is  conducted  by  her 
escort  through  the  crowd  of  the  great  station,  past  the 
ticket  man  at  the  gate,  and  on  board  the  train,  where 
Mrs.  Livingston  is  already  in  a  state  of  animated 
nervous  rhapsody,  muttering,  "  The  cars  are  moving  ! 
They  are  left  behind  !  What'll  I  say  to  that  girl's 
father  ? ?>  and  other  exclamations  indicative  of  approach- 
ing spasms. 

"Forgive  me,  dear  Mrs.  Livingston,"  says  Erma, 
apologetically.  "  I  couldn't  help  asking  about  my  father. 
I  haven't  seen  him  for  so  long,  and  have  had  no  letter 
for  two  weeks." 

"  He's  a  rather  curious  creature,  that  friend  of  papa," 
remarks  Ollie  superciliously. 

"  Very,"  answers  Erma.  "  But  my  father,  in  his  rail- 
road enterprises,  must  be  thrown  among  men  of  all 
ranks,  grades  and  conditions." 

"  Oh,  certainly,"  assents  Oliver.  "  You  remember  that 
individual  with  the  free  and  easy  manners  who  invited 
himself  to  mother's  supper  party  the  other  night." 

"  If  you  mean  Captain  Lawrence,"  remarks  Ferdie, 
tossing  himself  into  the  conversation,  "  I  can  tell  you  he 
didn't  invite  himself — I  did  that  part  of  the  business  my- 
self. And  as  to  his  manners  being  free  and  easy,  I  think, 
considering  he  hadn't  spoken  to  a  pretty  woman  for  a 
year,  he  did  very  well — under  the  circumstances.  If  I'd 
been  in  his  place  I'd  have  probably  kissed  the  ladies  all 
round." 

This  assertion  is  greeted  by  a  very  horrified  "  Oh,  Fer- 
dinand !  "  from  Mrs.  Livingston,  and  screams  of  laughter 
from  Louise. 

Miss  Travenion,  who  remembers  Captain  Lawrence's 
last  glance  and  hand  squeeze  and  words,  grows  slightly 
red  about  her  cheeks  and  sinks  upon  a  seat  and  gazes 
out  of  an  open  car  window. 

As  for  Mr.  Kruger,  the  moment   he  has   left  Erma 


38  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

Travenion,  he  has  dropped  all  the  laziness  of  a  New- 
foundland dog,  and  assumes  the  activity  of  a  terrier. 
He  has  said  hurriedly  but  determinedly  to  his  satellite, 
"  Jenkins,  you  stay  and  wait  for  the  four  hundred  coming 
on  the  Scotia.  Forward  the  other  three  hundred  by 
Davis,  who  came  from  Wales  with  them." 

"But — "Jenkins  is  about  to  interrupt. 

"  No  time  to  discuss  this  'ere  matter,"  says  Kruger  with 
a  snap.  "  I  must  go  West  on  this  train.  It's  somethin' 
you  can't  understand,  but  more  important  than  all  the 
Welsh  cows  that  we've  brought  over  these  ten  years — 
you  do  as  I  tell  ye." 

"  Yes,  Bishop,"  answers  the  man  humbly  and  goes 
away,  as  Mr.  Kruger,  whose  plans  the  sudden  meeting 
with  Miss  Travenion  seems  to  have  changed,  produces 
a  pass  from  the  New  York  Central  Railway,  hurries  to 
the  sleeping-car  office,  buys  a  ticket  to  Chicago,  and 
boards  the  train  almost  as  it  begins  to  move  out  for  the 
West,  and  placing  himself  in  a  smoking  compartment,  goes 
to  chewing  tobacco  in  a  meditative  but  seemingly  con- 
tented manner,  as  after  a  little  time  he  remarks  to  him- 
self, "  How  things  seem  to  be  coming  to  Lot  Kruger  and 
Zion  together." 


CHAPTER   IV. 

MR.    FERDIE    BEGINS    HIS    WESTERN    INVESTIGATIONS. 

THE  train  rattles  out  of  New  York,  and  crossing  the 
Harlem,  skirts  that  pretty  little  salt  water  river  ;  as  Miss 
Travenion  settles  herself  lazily  in  her  seat,  with  a  grace- 
ful ease  peculiar  to  her,  for  the  girl  has  a  curious  blend- 
ing of  both  style  and  beauty,  giving  her  a  patrician 
elegance  of  manner  that  makes  gracious  even  the  slight 
tendency  to  hauteur  in  her  manner  and  voice. 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  39 

The  sun  shines  upon  her  face,  and  she  turns  it  from 
the  morning  beams,  and  gazing  towards  the  West,  thinks 
of  her  father.  Her  eyes  grow  gentle,  her  mobile  features 
expectant  with  hope,  and  tender  with  love  ;  and  Oliver 
Livingston,  who  is  reading  a  New  York  journal,  glances 
up  from  it,  and  noting  Erma's  face  thinks,  "  She  really 
does  love  me,  dear  girl,  though  she  is  so  cold,  which  is 
much  better  form  till  we  are  regularly  engaged,"  and 
decides  to  give  her  a  chance  to  admit  her  affection  to  him 
formally  before  the  end  of  their  summer  tour,  for  this  prim 
gentleman  actually  adores  the  young  lady  he  is  look- 
ing at  as  much  as  his  diminutive  soul  can  love  anything, 
except  himself. 

At  present  he  does  not  know  how  small  his  soul  is, 
but  rather  thinks  it  is  large  and  noble  and  very  magnani- 
mous. He  has  had  no  occasion  so  far  to  test  its  dimen- 
sions, his  life  up  to  this  time  having  been  quite  narrow ; 
and  though  he  has  travelled,  it  has  not  brought  much 
into  his  brain,  save  some  strong,  high  church  notions  he 
has  imported  from  Oxford,  to  which  university  this 
young  gentleman  had  been  sent  to  complete  his  educa- 
tion after  Harvard  ;  his  mother  having  an  idea  it  might 
get  him  into  English  society,  and  perhaps  permit  him 
to  make  a  great  European  match.  This  was  before 
Erma's  father  had  made  his  million  dollar  settlement 
upon  her  ;  Mrs.  Livingston  having  been  one  of  the  first 
of  those  pioneers  from  New  York  who  passed  over  to 
England  and  replaced  the  social  chains  of  the  Mother 
Country  upon  her, — those  her  grandfather  and  other 
American  patriots  had  fought  to  throw  off,  together  with 
the  political  ones  of  George  the  Third,  his  Majesty  of 
glorious  memory. 

Upon  his  return  to  New  York,  Mr.  Ollie  had  signal- 
ized his  advent  by  dragging  his  mother  and  sister  to 
Saint  Agnes's  from  their  old  pew  at  Grace  Church,  the 
ritual  of  that  place  not  being  sufficiently  Puseyitic  for 


40  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

his  views  }  his  father,  the  elder  Livingston,  who  had  no 
religion  to  mention  save  certain  maxims  of  business  and 
the  rules  of  his  club,  being,  fortunately  for  his  son's  high 
church  movement,  dead. 

This  performance  of  the  heir  of  the  house  had  made 
his  mother  think  him  a  saint ;  as,  indeed,  to  do  the 
young  man  justice,  he  wished  to  be ;  and  had  Ollie  Liv- 
ingston elected  to  follow  any  profession,  he  would  doubt- 
less have  turned  to  the  ministry  ;  but  his  million  of 
dollars  perhaps  dulled  his  incentive  for  work,  and  after 
his  return  from  England,  the  young  man  had  done 
nothing  ;  but  as  Ferdie  had  irreverently  expressed  it, 
"had  done  that  nothing  GRANDLY." 

And  why  should  he  work  ?  He  had  money  enough  to 
command  any  ordinary  luxury  of  life.  As  for  position, 
was  he  not  a  Livingston,  and  could  he  add  additional 
honor  to  that  old  Knickerbocker  name  ?  thought  his 
mother. 

There  was  only  one  trouble  in  all  their  family  affairs, 
and  that  was  removed  by  the  settlement  Mr.  Travenion 
had  made  upon  Ollie's  fianc/e,  for  as  such  Mrs.  Living- 
ston already  regarded  Erma.  In  order  to  make  the 
settlement  upon  his  son,  the  elder  Livingston  had  culled 
his  best  securities  and  most  gilded  collaterals  ;  those 
left  for  the  support  of  his  widow  and  daughter,  not  being 
so  stable,  had  depreciated  in  the  last  few  years,  and 
Mrs.  Livingston's  income  had  dwindled  until  it  was  not 
what  she  considered  it  should  be  for  a  lady  of  her  station. 
Now,  of  course,  if  Ollie  married  a  very  rich  wife,  he 
could  be  very  liberal  to  his  mother  and  sister,  and  that 
point  had  been  happily  settled  by  the  million-dollar 
settlement  upon  Miss  Travenion. 

It  is  some  thought  of  this  that  is  in  Erma's  mind  once 
or  twice  in  her  first  day's  journey  towards  the  West. 
The  girl  loves  Mrs.  Livingston,  who  had  been  a  com- 
panion of  Erma's  mother,  and  had  been  very  kind  to  the 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  41 

child  even  after  her  father's  reverses,  and  had  frequently 
visited  Miss  Hines'  Academy  in  Gramercy  Park,  and  had 
the  little  Erma,  now  wholly  orphaned  by  her  mother's 
death  and  father's  absence,  to  her  great  house  on  Madi- 
son Square,  where  she  had  been  regaled  en  princess  and 
sent  back  to  the  boarding  school  made  happy  with  good 
things  to  eat  and  presents  that  make  children's  hearts 
glad. 

This,  Miss  Travenion  does  not  forget,  now  that  her 
father's  settlements  upon  her  have  made  her  probably 
as  great  an  heiress  in  her  own  right  as  any  girl  of  her 
circle  in  Manhattan  society. 

This  peculiar  position  of  Mrs.  Livingston  had  been 
pretty  well  known  to  Erma,  and  it  seemed  to  compel 
her  to  make  no  protest  when  the  widow  had  taken  her 
from  the  seclusion  of  Miss  Hines'  Academy  at  the 
beginning  of  the  winter  and  brought  her  out,  with  much 
blowing  of  social  trumpets  and  flowers  and  riddling  at 
Mrs.  Livingston's  Madison  Square  mansion — and  also 
had  chaperoned  her  at  Newport. 

Therefore,  she  has  rather  grown  to  consider  herself 
set  apart  for  Oliver's  wife,  and  as  such  has  turned  a 
deaf  ear  to  the  many  men  who,  on  slight  encouragement, 
would  be  more  than  happy  and  more  than  ready  to  woo 
a  young  lady  who  has  gorgeous  beauty,  a  million  of  dol- 
lars of  her  own  and  a  father  of  indefinite  Western  wealth, 
which,  magnified  by  distance,  has  increased  to  such 
Monte  Cristo  proportions,  that  it  has  gained  for  her  the 
title,  among  her  set,  of  "Miss  Dividends." 

Besides  any  notion  of  gratitude  to  Mrs.  Livingston, 
Erma  knows  that  this  match  with  Ollie  is  her  father's 
wish.  On  one  of  his  visits  to  New  York,  she  had  once 
hinted  her  desire  to  visit  and  live  with  him  in  the  West, 
and  had  been  promptly  refused  in  terms  as  stern  as 
Ralph  Travenion  could  bring  himself  to  use  to  his 
daughter,  for  whom  he  seemed  to  have  a  very  tender 


42  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

love,  and  in  doing  so  he  had  indicated  that  his  wishes 
were  that  she  fulfil  the  arrangement  he  had  made  with 
his  old-time  friend,  the  elder  Livingston. 

"  Marry  Oliver,"  he  had  said.  "  He  is  in  your  rank — 
the  position  to  which  you  were  born,  Erma.  Live  in  the 
East.  The  West  is,  perhaps,  the  best  place  to  make 
money,  but  New  York  is  par  excellence  'the  place  to 
enjoy  it.  Some  day — perhaps  sooner  than  you  expect,  I 
shall  join  you  here,  and  settle  down  to  my  old  life  as 
club  man  again,"  and  Ralph  Travenion  looks  towards 
the  Unity  Club,  upon  whose  lists  his  name  still  stands, 
and  of  whose  smoking-room  he  is  still  an  habitue  on  his 
visits  to  Manhattan,  rather  longingly  from  his  parlor  in 
the  Brevoort  House,  at  which  hotel  he  always  stopped,  in 
contradistinction  to  most  of  his  comrades  from  the  Plains, 
who  are  more  apt  to  register  at  the  Fifth  Avenue  or  the 
Hoffman. 

It  was  on  one  of  these  visits  at  the  Brevoort  that  Erma 
had  chanced  to  meet  Mr.  Lot  Kruger,  and  circumstances 
compelling  the  same,  had  received  introduction  to  him. 

"  Ha !  a  new  convert  to  Zion  !  "  the  Westerner  had 
cried  out,  looking  rather  curiously  at  the  beautiful  girl 
of  nineteen,  who  had  entered  unannounced  into  Ralph 
Travenion 's  apartments. 

But  her  father  had  simply  said  :  "  My  daughter,  Miss 
Erma,  let  me  present  Mr.  Kruger,  a  business  associate  of 
mine,"  and  had  so  dismissed  the  affair,  though  several 
times  afterward  the  Westerner  had  chanced  to  be  at 
Travenion's  apartments  when  Erma  called,  and  once  or 
twice  he  had  appeared  at  Miss  Hines'  Academy,  bearer, 
as  he  said,  of  news  from  her  father  to  Miss  Travenion, 
to  the  amusement,  astonishment  and  giggles  of  her 
fellow-pupils  and  the  dismay  of  the  schoolmistress,  who 
thought  Mr.  Kruger  a  species  of  Western  border  ruffian 
or  bandit. 

However,  as  she  sits  and  meditates,  the  thought  that 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  43 

she  is  drawing  nearer  and  nearer  to  her  loved  father, 
drives  all  else  out  of  Erma  Travenion's  head,  and  she 
watches  the  wave-washed  banks  of  the  beautiful  Hudson, 
and  as  they  pass  by  says,  "  One  more  tree  nearer  papa — 
one  more  island  nearer  papa — one  more  town  nearer 
papa,"  and  later  in  the  day,  they  having  got  off  the  New 
York  Central,  she  murmurs  "One  more  railroad  nearer 
papa"  and  grows  happier  and  happier  as  the  cars  bear 
her  on. 

So  the  day  passes.  Her  companions  have  settled 
down  to  their  journey,  and  are  passing  their  time  in  cards 
or  novel  reading,  and  Miss  Travenion  has  plenty  of 
opportunity  for  reflection,  for  Ollie  notices  that  the  girl 
seems  to  wish  to  be  left  to  herself,  and  only  ventures 
occasional  remarks  when  passing  objects  demand  them. 

Mr.  Kruger,  awed  perhaps  by  the  private  car,  which 
was  much  more  of  a  rarity  and  luxury  in  1871  than  it  is 
to-day,  does  not  intrude  upon  the  young  lady  or  her 
party,  though  Erma  notices  when  she  gets  off  at  the  large 
stations  for  exercise  that  Lot's  eyes  seem  to  follow  her 
about,  as  if  he  were  interested  in  her  for  her  father's 
sake. 

Thus  the  night  comes  and  goes,  and  during  the  next 
day,  the  ist  of  October,  the  party  pass  through  Chicago, 
just  then  waiting  to  be  burned  in  order  that  it  may 
become  great. 

So,  running  over  the  prairies  two  days  and  a  few 
hours  after  leaving  New  York,  they  arrive  at  Council 
Bluffs,  and  take  ferry  across  the  Missouri  River,  no 
bridge  at  this  time  crossing  that  great  but  uncertain  and 
shifting  stream. 

During  this  two  days'  journey  from  New  York  to  the 
Missouri,  a  considerable  change  has  taken  place  in  the 
mines  of  some  of  the  members  of  the  party  as  to  their 
proposed  jaunt  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  beyond. 
This  has  chiefly  been  brought  about  by  Mr.  Ferdie,  who, 


44  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

having  purchased  a  book  entitled  "  Facts  About  the  Far 
West"  has  been  regaling  himself  with  the  same,  and 
devoting  a  considerable  portion  of  his  time  explaining 
and  elucidating  the  knowledge  he  thinks  he  has  gained 
from  it  to  Mrs.  Livingston,  producing  a  very  distressing 
effect  upon  that  plump  lady's  nervous  system. 

These  "Facts  About  the  West"  consist  chiefly  of  anec- 
dotes of  the  border  ruffian  kind,  descriptions  of  various 
atrocities,  Indian  massacres,  Mormon  outrages  and  vigil- 
ance committees,  and  are  of  such  a  very  highly  colored 
and  blood-curdling  description  that  Mr.  Chauncey  himself 
remarks,  as  he  finishes  the  volume  :  "  If  these  are  facts 
about  the  West,  I  think  the  fiction  will  be  too  rich  for  my 
blood  ! "  Though  half-believing  the  same,  this  young 
gentleman  imagines  he  has  acquired  in  his  two  days  be- 
tween New  York  and  Council  Bluffs,  considerable  knowl- 
edge of  the  manners  of  the  Western  frontiersman, 
border-ruffians,  stage-drivers,  Indians,  Mormons,  and 
buffaloes. 

A  number  of  the  more  blood-curdling  anecdotes  he  has 
detailed  to  Mrs.  Livingston  at  odd  times,  enjoying  her 
shudderings  at  such  stories  as  that  of  the  waiter  in  the 
New  Mexico  hotel,  who  shot  the  Chicago  drummer  to 
death  because  he  declined  to  eat  the  eggs  and  said  they 
were  incipient  chickens ;  also,  a  few  of  the  more  cruel  ex- 
ploits of  celebrated  Johnnie  Slade,  the  murderous  superin- 
tendent of  a  division  of  the  Ben  Holliday's  stage  line, 
together  with  a  full,  true  and  accurate  account  of  the 
atrocious  butchery  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  three  men, 
women  and  children  by  the  notorious  John  D.  Lee,  of 
Utah,  the  Mormon  bishop,  and  a  portion  of  the  Mormon 
militia,  disguised  as  Indians,  that  occurred  in  1857,  and 
now  known  under  the  head  of  the  Mountain  Meadow 
Massacre;  "The  Last  Shot  of  Joaquin,  the  California 
Bandit,"  etc.,  etc. 

These  revelations  of  Western  atrocity  Mr.  Ferdinand  is 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  45 

delighted  to  see  produce  upon  the  nerves  of  Mrs.  Living- 
ston effects  more  demoralizing  than  the  morphine  habit. 
And  he  would  continue  his  narrations,  with  much  gusto, 
to  the  agitated  Mrs.  Livingston,  did  not  Erma,  who  has 
been  listening  indifferently  to  his  tales  of  blood,  sud- 
denly, at  her  first  opportunity,  lead  the  chuckling  Ferdie 
aside,  and,  placing  two  flaming  eyes  upon  him,  whisper  : 
"  Not  another  of  your  Western  horrors  to  your  aunt !  " 
Then  her  voice  grows  pathetic,  and  she  mutters : 
"Would  you  frighten  her  so  that  she  retreats  from  her 
journe}'  and  takes  me  back  to  New  York,  and  deprives  me 
of  seeing  my  father — the  joy  I  am  looking  forward  to 
minute  by  minute,  and  hour  by  hour." 

This  oration,  emphasized  by  savage  glances  and  made 
pathetic  by  flashing  eyes,  has  a  great  effect  on  Mr.  Fer- 
dinand, and  he  promises  silence,  remarking  to  himself : 
"What  a  stunner  that  Erma  is,  and  only  out  of  boarding 
school  ten  months." 

As  it  is,  when  Ferdie  first  looks  upon  the  Missouri 
River  and  utters,  "  The  West  is  now  before  me.  I  feel 
as  if  I  knew  it  very  well  from  my  guide-book,"  tapping 
his  blood-curdling  volume.  "  Now  for  a  practical  ex- 
perience of  the  same,"  adding  to  this  one  or  two 
attempts  at  Indian  war-whoops,  the  effect  of  his  narra- 
tives has  been  so  great  on  Mrs.  Livingston  that  she  puts 
her  plump  hands  over  her  pale  blue  eyes  and  shudder- 
ingly  mutters :  "  The  West — shall  I  ever  live  to  come 
out  of  it  ?  "  and  would  take  train  immediately  for 
Eastern  civilization,  were  it  not  that  she  fears  the  laugh- 
ter of  her  daughter,  Louise,  and  the  sneers  of  Oliver, 
her  son,  who  has  several  times  pooh-poohed  Ferdie  s 
anecdotes  of  Rocky  Mountain  life,  and  once  or  twice, 
during  his  more  atrocious  recitals,  has  ejaculated 
"  Bosh  !  " 

As  she  descends  from  her  car  at  Council  Bluffs,  she 
lays  one  trembling  hand  on  her  son's  arm,  and  makes 


46  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

one  half-hearted  expostulation,  "  Don't  you  think,  since 
we  are  compelled  to  leave  our  private  car  here,  we  had 
better  end  the  trip  and  return  to  New  York  imme- 
diately?" 

This  Mr.  Oliver  silences  by  a  stern  "What  !  Our 
tickets  already  bought  for  San  Francisco  ?  Besides 
that,  Van  Wyke  Stuyvesant  has  just  come  back  with  his 
mother  and  sisters,  and  pronounces  the  trip  delightful, 
and  I  don't  wish  Van  Wyke,  who  is  something  of  a  brag- 
gart, to  be  able  to  talk  of  the  Yosemite  and  Big-trees 
and  I  be  unable  to  say  I  have  been  there  also.  Besides, 
Erma  is  looking  forward  to  meeting  her  father." 

Thus  compelled,  Mrs.  Livingston  nervously  accepts  her 
son's  escort  to  the  ferry  boat,  and  the  party  cross  the 
Missouri  River  to  take  cars  at  Omaha  on  the  Union 
Pacific  Railway — Mr.  Oliver,  calmly  indifferent  to  his 
mother's  feelings,  and  only  intent  upon  using  some  of 
the  chances  of  the  journey  for  making  his  romantic 
declaration  to  Miss  Travenion. 

It  will  give  that  young  lady,  he  imagines,  the  oppor- 
tunity she  is  anxiously  awaiting,  to  accept  his  distin- 
guished name,  large  fortune  and  small  heart ;  though  did 
he  but  guess  it,  Miss  Travenion  has  but  one  thought  in 
her  soul — fifteen  hundred  miles  nearer  papa  ! 

Mr.  Chauncey,  however,  is  very  anxious  for  the  won- 
ders of  the  border  land  he  has  read  about,  crazy  to 
see  a  herd  of  buffaloes,  and  determined  to  investigate 
Western  matters  for  himself  generally,  in  order  to  have 
some  rare  stories  of  frontier  life  with  which  to  make 
his  Eastern  college  chums  open  their  eyes  over  social 
spreads  at  the  "  D.  K.  E.,"  for  this  young  gentleman  will 
enter  Harvard  as  freshman  next  term.  An  Alma  Mater  of 
which  he  is  already  very  proud  in  futuro,  and  in  which 
he  is  very  anxious  to  distinguish  himself,  not  as  a  read- 
ing man,  but  as  a  Harvard  man — a  being,  who,  this 
young  gentleman  fondly  imagines,  has  the  beauty  of  an 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  47 

Adonis,  the  muscle  of  a  Sullivan,  the  pluck  of  a  bull- 
terrier,  the  brain  of  a  Macchiavelli,  and  the  morals  of  a 
Don  Juan,  disguised  by  the  demeanor  and  bearing  of  a 
Lord  Chesterfield. 

So  the  young  man  springs  eagerly  ashore  on  the 
Nebraska  side  of  the  Missouri,  and  cries  out  in  a  laugh- 
ing voice  :  "  Omaha !  All  aboard  for  the  Rockies  and 
buffaloes  and  Indians  and  scalpings ! "  exclamations 
which  make  the  widow's  nerves  tingle  and  the  widow's 
plump  hands  shake  a  little,  as  her  son  assists  her  across 
the  gang-plank. 

Then,  his  mother  being  landed,  Ollie  turns  to  offer  the 
same  attention  to  Erma,  but  to  his  astonishment  he  is 
anticipated  in  his  act  of  gallantry  by  the  Western  Mr. 
Kruger. 

This  gentleman,  apparently,  near  his  native  heath, 
has  grown  bolder,  and  as  he  expresses  it  to  himself, 
"  has  been  do'en  the  perlite  "  to  Miss  Travenion,  indi- 
cating to  her  the  various  points  of  interest  in  Omaha  as 
seen  from  the  river,  together  with  the  Union  Pacific 
Railway  bridge,  which  is  at  this  time  in  process  of  con- 
struction. 

"  Your  daddy  and  I  once  spent  four  hours  in  winter 
trying  to  get  across  this  river,  Sissy,  and  were  mighty 
nigh  froze  to  death  doing  it,  and  if  it  had  not  been  for 
my  U.  S.  blanket  overcoat  that  I  picked  up  when  John- 
ston was  out  thar  invadin"  us  " — he  checks  himself  shortly 
here  and  mumbles  :  "  I  reckon  your  old  man  would 
have  given  in.  But  here  we  air — Permit  the  hand  of 
fellowship  over  the  step-off  !  " 

This  allusion  to  her  father  is  received  by  a  grateful 
"  thank  you  "  from  the  young  lady,  who,  if  she  has  read 
of  Albert  Sydney  Johnston's  campaign  in  Utah  has  for- 
gotten the  same,  and  she  accepts  Mr.  Kruger's  aid 
across  the  gang-plank  in  so  easy  and  affable  a  manner 
that  Lot  proffers  his  further  escort  to  the  omnibus  wait- 


48  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

ing  to  bear  this  young  lady  up  the  hill  toward  what  is 
called  the  railroad  depot  in  Omaha.  Having  assisted 
her  into  the  'bus  with  rather  effusive  gallantry,  and  noting 
during  his  attentions  a  ravishing  ankle  in  silken  hose  that 
makes  his  fatherly  eyes  grow  red  and  watery,  he  remarks 
with  a  chuckle  to  himself  as  he  sees  the  New  York  beauty 
drive  off  :  "  If  Miss  High-Fallutin'  should  come  to  Zion  in 
the  Far  West,  oh  Saints  of  Melchisedec  !  "  and  is  so  over- 
come by  his  emotions  that  he  almost  misses  the  last 
transfer  omnibus. 

So,  it  comes  to  pass  that  in  the  course  of  a  few 
minutes  they  all  find  themselves  at  that  ramshackle 
affair  that  was,  and  is  now,  for  that  matter,  termed  the 
Western  Union  Depot  in  Omaha.  Here  the  train  is 
drawn  up,  ready  for  its  race  towards  the  West.  Attached 
to  it  are  two  Pullman  cars,  in  one  of  which  Erma's 
party  have  engaged  their  accommodations,  which  consist 
of  a  rear  stateroom,  occupied  by  Mrs.  Livingston  and 
her  daughter,  a  forward  stateroom,  which  has  been 
engaged  for  Miss  Travenion  and  her  maid.  The  sec- 
tion next  his  mother's  being  occupied  entirely  by  Oliver, 
that  young  man  always  looking  after  his  own  comfort 
and  luxury  very  thoroughly ;  while  a  section  in  the  for- 
ward end  of  the  car,  next  Miss  Travenion's  stateroom, 
has  been  set  apart  for  Mr.  Ferdinand  Chauncey  in  order 
that  he  may  be  situated  so  as  to  give  Erma  any  mascu- 
line assistance  or  protection  she  may  require. 

Of  course,  this  is  by  no  means  so  convenient  for  the 
New  York  party  as  the  private  car,  which  had  been 
placed  at  their  service  by  a  relative  of  Mrs.  Livingston, 
one  of  the  magnates  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railway,  but 
it  had  been  considered  by  Mr.  Oliver  best  to  submit 
to  the  more  contracted  accommodations  found  upon  a 
general  sleeping  car  than  to  the  exorbitant  charges  of  the 
Western  railways. 

Miss  Travenion  has  already  made  herself  comfortable 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  49 

in  her  stateroom  by  the  aid  of  her  maid,  a  pretty 
French  girl,  who  is  about  as  useless  a  one  as  could  have 
been  selected  for  this  trip,  save  in  the  matter  of  feminine 
toilet ;  when  glancing  into  the  open  portion  of  the 
sleeping  car,  Erma  gets  a  little  surprise.  She  sees  Cap- 
tain Harry  Storey  Lawrence  entering  the  same,  and  plac- 
ing his  impedimenta  in  the  section  opposite  Ferdie's, 
which  from  its  location  is  also  next  to  her  stateroom. 
She  gives  the  young  man  a  slight  bow,  which  he  ac- 
knowledges with  military  courtesy,  a  little  red  showing 
under  the  tan  of  the  sun  upon  his  hardy  cheeks  ;  but 
thinks  only  passingly  of  the  matter,  judging  it  a  mere 
chance  of  travel,  she  having  already  heard  the  gentle- 
man state  that  he  was  returning  to  Utah. 

She  would  probably  pay  more  attention  to  the  affair 
did  she  know  that  what  she  considers  a  mere  accident 
of  travel,  has  been  brought  about  on  the  part  of  the 
young  man  by  deliberate  design. 

Lawrence  having  finished  his  business  in  Chicago,  and 
his  telegrams  from  Southmead  received  at  the  Sherman 
House  indicating  that  there  was  no  immediate  hurry  for 
his  presence  in  Salt  Lake,  that  young  gentleman  had 
said  to  himself,  "  Why  not  travel  with  her?  Three  days 
in  a  Pullman  sleeper  are  equal  to  a  voyage  at  sea.  Be- 
fore my  arrival  at  Salt  Lake,  she  shall  have  better 
acquaintance  with  me  than  a  few  words  in  a  Delmonico 
supper  room  can  produce."  Actuated  by  this  idea, 
the  captain  had  journeyed  leisurely  to  Omaha,  and  dis- 
covering the  location  of  Erma's  stateroom,  had 
promptly  selected  the  section  next  to  it  for  the  trip  to 
the  West. 

Very  shortly  after  this,  with  much  ringing  of  bell  and 
much  blowing  of  whistle,  the  train  gets  into  motion,  and 
passing  out  of  the  Omaha  depot,  in  a  few  minutes  is 
climbing  a  little  ascent  over  which  it  will  pass  into  the 
valley  of  the  Platte,  to  run  along  endless  plains  till  the 
4 


50  MISS  DIVIDENDS. 

snowy  summits  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  come  into  view 
on  the  Western  horizon. 

To  the  south,  a  low  range  of  hills  is  bordering  the 
river  ;  to  the  north  prairies,  nothing  but  prairies  ;  to  the 
west  nothing  but  prairies,  save  two  long  lines  of  rails 
that  run  straight  as  an  arrow  towards  the  setting  sun  till 
they  seem  to  come  together  and  be  one. 

Gazing  at  these,  her  eyes  full  of  expectant  happiness 
and  hope,  Miss  Travenion  murmurs,  "  At  the  end  of  these, 
one  thousand  and  odd  miles  away,  my  father,"  and  the 
green  prairies  of  Nebraska  grow  very  beautiful  to  her, 
and  the  soft  southern  wind,  as  it  enters  the  car  windows, 
seems  very  pleasant  to  her,  and  the  rays  of  the  setting  sun 
•make  the  green  grass  lands  and  the  long  reaches  of  the 
Platte  River  flowing  over  its  yellow  quicksands  and  dotted 
with  its  little  cottonwood  islands  seem  like  a  landscape 
of  Heaven  to  her. 

Then  Ferdie  comes  in,  looking  eagerly  out  of  the  car 
window,  and  whispers  :  "  Do  you  see  any  buffaloes  yet  ? 
I  have  got  a  revolver  and  a  sporting  rifle  to  kill  them." 
A  second  after  he  ejaculates,  "  What's  that !  " 

And  Erma  starts  and  echoes  "  What's  that  ? " 

For  it  is  a  sound  these  two  have  never  heard  the  like 
of  before — the  shriek  of  the  Western  train  book  agent — 
not  the  pitiful  note  of  the  puny  Eastern  vender,  but  the 
wild  whoop  of  the  genuine  transcontinental  fiend,  who  in 
the  earlier  seventies  went  bellowing  through  a  car  like  a 
calliope  on  a  Mississippi  River  boat. 

"  TSrz-owrfs  prize  candies !  Twenty-five  cents  a  box, 
warranted  fresh  and  something  that'll  make  you  feel 
pleased  and  slick  in  every  one  of  'em — Bre-owN's  prize 
candies." 

Being  of  a  speculative  turn  of  mind,  Ferdie  invests  in 
one  or  two  of  these,  and  he  and  Erma  open  them 
together  and  laugh  at  their  bad  luck,  for  Ferdie  has  won 
a  Jew's  harp,  worth  about  a  cent,  and  she  is  the  happy 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  51 

possessor  of  a  brass  thimble,  and  the  candies,  apparently, 
have  been  manufactured  before  Noah's  Ark  put  to  sea. 
While  joking  about  this,  a  new  idea  seems  to  strike 
Ferdie. 

The  news-boy,  who  has  gathered  up  his  packages  after 
making  his  trades  on  the  sharpest  of  business  principles, 
is  leaving  the  car.  Mr.  Chauncey  asks  him  if  he  has 
any  Western  literature. 

"  I  always  have  everything,"  cries  the  young  man. 
"  Give  you  <  The  Scout  of  the  Plains,'  or  '  Long  Har,  the 
Hermit  of  the  Rockies,'  for  twenty-five  cents." 

"I  don't  want  fiction  ;  facts  are  what  I'm  after,"  says 
Ferdie,  interrupting  him. 

"  Then  I'll  accommodate  also,"  remarks  the  youth, 
and  going  away,  he  returns  after  a  few  minutes  bearing 
four  or  five  bound  volumes,  entitled,  "  The  Oatman 
Girls'  Captivity  among  the  Apaches,"  "  The  Construc- 
tion of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway,"  "  The  Life  and 
Adventures  of  Jim  Beckworth,  the  Naturalized  Crow 
Chief,"  "Kit  Carson,  the  Pioneer,"  "Fremont's  Ex- 
plorations "  and  "  Female  Life  among  the  Mormons,  by 
the  Wife  of  an  Elder  of  the  Latter-Day  Saints." 

"Facts  come  higher,"  he  says,  "than  lies.  These  are 
bound  books,  and  will  cost  you  all  the  way  from  $1.50 
up  to  $4.  But  you  can  turn  'em  in  at  the  end  of  the 
trip,  if  you  want,  and  I  will  let  you  have  fifty  per  cent, 
on  them.  I  had  sooner  you  did  it  that  way,  because 
then  /'//bag  the  profit,  not  my  boss." 

Whereupon,  Ferdie  selects  "  Kit  Carson,"  "  The  Build- 
ing of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway,"  and  "Female  Life 
among  the  Mormons,"  tendering  a  ten-dollar  bill,  for 
which  he  receives  very  little  change,  but  making  the 
agreement  for  the  return  of  the  books  on  arrival  at 
Ogden,  much  to  the  delight  of  the  news-agent,  who  re- 
marks oracularly,  "Buck  Powers  is  never  quite  left." 

"  Oh,  that  is  your  name,  is  it  ? "  says  Mr.  Chauncey. 


52  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

"  Probably  you  know  a  good  deal  about  the  West  your- 
self ? " 

"  I  was  born  in  Chicago,"  answers  the  boy  proudly, 
"and  railroaded  ever  since  I  was  corn  high." 

"  Ah,  a  railroad  man  ? " 

"  You  bet !  I've  run  on  the  C.  B.  &  Q.,  I  have,"  re- 
marks Buck,  his  voice  growing  proud,  "and  any  man 
that  has  run  on  de  boss  road  of  the  West  out  of  Chicago, 
can  call  himself  a  railroad  man  and  nothin'  else." 

In  this  exaltation  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy,  Buck  was  by  no  means  alone  in  the  early 
seventies,  for  somehow  that  was  considered  the  great 
road  west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  all  who  were  connected 
with  it  from  a  switchman  up,  seemed  to  be  very  proud  of 
the  C.  B.  &  Q.,  and  to  run  upon  it  into  Chicago,  appeared 
to  them  to  be  the  acme  of  railroad  bliss  and  happiness, 
which  was  the  acme  of  all  happiness.  So  they  kicked  off 
tramps  with  a  proud  kick,  and  they  coupled  freight  cars 
with  a  self-satisfied  air,  and  they  received  deaths  with 
complaisance  as  defective  couplings  broke  and  box  cars 
crashed  together,  and  they  made  up  passenger  trains  and 
ran  locomotives  with  the  haughty  air  of  men  belonging 
to  the  most  prominent  road  in  that  great  country  which 
centred  in  Chicago,  to  which  the  rest  of  America,  espe- 
cially the  East,  was  but  an  attachment. 

"  Oh,  you  are  a  railroad  man — a  Western  railroad  man. 
Perhaps  you  can  tell  me  about  the  Rocky  Mountains  ?  " 

"  What  I  can't  tell  you  about  the  Rockies  and  the 
U.  P.  ain't  worth  knowing,"  remarks  Buck.  "After  I  get 
through  with  this  candy  trip,  and  give  'em  a  rattle  or  two 
on  books,  notions  and  fruit,  I'll  come  back  and  give  you 
some  eye-openers,  because  I  can  see  you're  going  to  be  a 
good  trader."  Thus  tagging  on  business  with  pleasure 
and  self-glorification,  Buck  Powers  proceeds  on  his  way 
through  the  cars,  shouting  in  a  voice  that  drowns  the 
roll  of  the  wheels  and  the  tooting  of  the  locomotive  : 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  53 

" Ere-own's  prize  candies  !  Twenty-five  cents  a  package! 
Warranted  fresh  and  genuine,  and  each  package  guaran- 
teed  to  contain  a  donation!  It  is  your  last  chance  to- 
night !  Last  chance  to-night  for  .Z?r^-owN's  prize  candy 
and  Chicago  chewing  gum  !  " 

During  this  interview,  Miss  Travenion  has  looked  on 
with  an  amused  glance.  She  is  astounded  that  one  so 
small  can  make  so  great  a  noise,  for  Mr.  Buck  Powers 
is  but  five  feet  and  five  inches  high,  and  rather  slight, 
skinny,  and  wiry  of  frame,  but  his  voice  is  like  that  of 
Goliath  of  Gath,  with  occasional  staccatos  stolen  from 
the  midnight  yelp  of  the  coyote  of  the  plains. 

As  the  boy's  howls  die  away  in  the  next  car,  she  says 
suddenly  to  Ferdie,  "What  are  you  going  to  do  with 
those  books  ? " 

"  Amuse  auntie  with  them." 

"  That  I  forbid  you  to  do.  No  more  fibs  about  the 
West  to  Mrs.  Livingston.  Do  you  want  her  to  have  a 
nervous  fever  ? " 

"Very  well,"  remarks  Ferdinand,  contemplatively. 
"  If  you  object  to  my  instructing  auntie,  I  will  keep 
them  for  my  own  amusement  and  knowledge."  Then 
he  cries  suddenly,  "  By  George,  wasn't  that  a  buffalo  ?  " 
and  throws  up  the  car  window,  and  looks  out  excitedly, 
to  the  serious  danger  of  his  caput,  for  the  train  is  running 
through  a  small  town. 

And  Erma  laughs  and  says,  "No,  it's  a  cow." 

Just  here  the  conductor  comes  in  and  makes  every- 
body on  the  car  alert  and  happy,  for  he  cries  :  "  GRAND 
ISLAND  !  THIRTY  MINUTES  FOR  SUPPEP  '  " 


54  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

CHAPTER  V. 

THE    GRAND    ISLAND    EATING-HOUSE. 

BUT  with  this  announcement  comes  another  sensation 
to  Miss  Travenion. 

Ollie  Livingston  has  been  engaged  most  of  the  after- 
noon trying  to  make  the  trip  comfortable  for  his  mother, 
for,  whatever  may  be  his  other  failings,  he  certainly  is  a 
dutiful  and  attentive  son. 

As  the  train  slackens  its  speed,  he  passes  to  Miss 
Travenion 's  stateroom,  and  remarks  :  "  You  have  heard 
the  conductor  announce  supper.  Ferdie,  take  care  of 
Louise  and  her  mother.  I  will  see  to  Erma."  A  mo- 
ment after  he  ejaculates  nervously:  "  I'll  just  wash  my 
hands,  and  be  with  you  in  a  moment,"  and  moves  hur- 
riedly back  to  the  gentlemen's  wash-room  at  the  rear  of 
the  car,  leaving  Erma  alone. 

Miss  Travenion  makes  her  own  preparations  in  the 
privacy  of  her  stateroom,  and  steps  out  to  find  herself 
cut  off  from  the  rest  of  her  party  by  her  fellow-passen- 
gers, who  have  risen  hurriedly,  and  are  crowding  en 
masse  through  the  aisles,  anxious  to  get  to  their  evening 
meal  as  rapidly  as  possible,  most  of  them  being  old 
Western  travellers  and  knowing  that  if  they  wish  to  get 
a  good  supper,  it  is  best  for  them  to  be  among  the  first 
rush  upon  the  viands  of  a  Pacific  railroad  eating-house. 

The  train  has  stopped,  and  caught  in  the  crowd,  Miss 
Travenion  finds  herself  swept  out  upon  the  front  plat- 
form of  the  car  ;  a  couple  of  stout  Western  women  crowd 
past  her,  shoving  her  nearly  off  the  platform.  The 
Pullman  porter  shouts  to  her  to  look  out.  She  has  a 
hurried  vision  of  Mr.  Lot  Kruger  rushing  to  her  assist- 
ance  in  the  next  car,  and  blocked  in  the  aisle  and  strug- 
gling to  squeeze  past  Buck  Powers,  who  has  been  caught 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  55 

in  the  supper  rush  and  who  is  dashing  about  like  a  fiend 
to  save  his  wares  from  destruction. 

She  hears  a  voice  that  is  half-way  familiar  say  in- 
cisively :  "  This  way,  Miss  Travenion,  at  once  !  "  and 
looking  down,  sees  Harry  Lawrence's  stalwart  arm  up- 
lifted to  assist  her  from  the  car.  She  puts  out  two  little 
gloved  hands.  These  are  eagerly  seized  upon,  and  in  an 
instant  she  is  lifted  lightly  to  the  ground. 

Here,  blushing  very  slightly,  she  murmurs,  "Thank 
you,  Captain  Lawrence  !  " 

"  I  am  glad  you  remember  my  name,"  answers  the 
young  man  in  a  very  happy  voice. 

Then  he  continues  rapidly,  "  Excuse  me  a  second. 
Your  maid  does  not  appear  to  know  what  to  do."  And 
he  assists  the  French  abigail  to  alight  with  as  much  care, 
if  perhaps  not  as  much  ceremony,  as  he  did  the  mistress. 

"  Yes,"  replies  Erma.  "  We  travelled  by  a  private 
car  as  far  as  Omaha,  and,  of  course,  had  our  meals  on 
board  of  it.  Therefore,  Marie  was  rather  disconcerted — 
as,  to  tell  the  truth,  so  was  I." 

"  Ah,  then,  you  do  need  my  assistance,  if  you  want  a 
meal,"  says  Harry  quickly,  for  the  gong  is  sounding 
very  wildly  outside  the  eating-house,  and  the  throng 
from  the  long  train  of  cars  is  moving  bodily  upon  it. 

Noting  this,  the  young  man  cries  shortly  :  "  Indecision 
means  hunger — at  all  events,  the  leavings.  Come  with 
me!" 

Then,  perceiving  that  Erma  is  hesitating  and  looking 
towards  the  car  from  which  Ferdie  and  Louise  are  just 
appearing,  and  which  still  conceals  Mrs.  Livingston  and 
her  son,  he  says  hurriedly  :  "  Quick  ;  I'll  reserve  a  table 
for  your  party  and  get  them  a  first  chance  at  the  meal. 
Come  at  once  if  you  want  your  supper  !  " 

"  Of  course  I  want  my  supper,"  cries  Miss  Travenion 
with  a  laugh  ;  for  the  brisk  Nebraska  air,  which  is  quite 
often  cool  toward  evening,  in  October,  has  stimulated  the 


56  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

young  lady  s  appetite,  which,  like  that  of  most  healthy 
girls  of  her  age,  is  generally  a  good  one. 

So  the  young  lady,  placing  her  hand  upon  his  arm 
and  followed  by  her  maid,  turns  away  from  the  crowd 
and  is  led  to  a  side  door,  Lawrence  seeming  to  know 
the  by-ways  of  the  hotel  pretty  well. 

In  front  of  this  are  lounging  the  station  master  and 
two  or  three  railroad  employees.  These  spring  up  with 
ejaculations  of  welcome  and  delight !  One  cries,  "  God 
bless  you,  Cap  !  "  and  another,  "  Harry,  you're  doing 
well."  A  third  guffaws  sotto  voce,  "  You  bet  he  is." 

Returning  their  salutes,  he  says  shortly,  "  Please  let 
me  in  at  the  side  door — before  the  rush.  This  young 
lady  is  hungry."  A  moment  after  they  are  in  the  dining- 
room  of  the  railroad  hotel  before  the  crowd  of  passen- 
gers have  entered  by  the  main  portal. 

This  is  a  large  apartment  filled  with  tables,  each  of 
which  will  accommodate  six  people,  and  each  presided 
over  and  waited  upon  by  a  brisk  moving,  calico-clothed 
Nebraska  maiden. 

A  moment  after,  Erma's  escort  says  to  a  bright-eyed 
prairie-girl  who  is  flourishing  a  feather  duster  to  keep 
the  flies  off  an  as  yet  unoccupied  table  :  "  Sally,  reserve 
this  table  for  myself  and  party. " 

Then  to  Miss  Travenion's  astonishment  the  maid 
answers,  giving  him  a  look  of  open-eyed  admiration, 
"  Yes,  Cap  !  " 

The  next  instant  she  finds  herself  seated  beside 
him,  and  her  maid,  under  his  direction,  taken  to  another 
table  and  made  comfortable  by  another  brisk  Nebraska 
girl,  who  also  answers  deferentially,  "  Yes,  Cap  !  " 
Then  the  one  employed  at  their  table  calmly  but  un- 
compromisingly waves  off  both  flies  and  passengers 
from  the  tempting  seats  with  her  feather  duster,  re- 
marking, "  This  'ere  table  's  engaged  !  This  'ere  table  's 
engaged,"  to  applying  drummers  and  hungry  cattlemen 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  57 

who  would  make  a.  raid  upon  the  precious  vacant  chairs ; 
for  all  the  other  seats  in  the  room  are  by  this  time  in  use 
and  the  viands  are  flying  off  the  tables  in  a  manner  pecul- 
iar to  Western  appetites  ;  while  over  all  this  comes  in 
continual  chorus  from  the  waiting-girls:  "  Steaks— chops 
— ham  and  eggs — tea  or  coffee — pie  or  pudding,"  with 
an  occasional  variation  of  "  stewed  prunes  or  fruit." 

In  this  chorus  their  attendant  maid  has  already  joined, 
singing  out  in  a  business  way,  "  Steaks,  chops  or  ham 
and  eggs,"  when  to  Miss  Travenion's  awful  blushes,  the 
girl  suddenly  stops  her  song  and  giggles,  after  the 
free  and  easy  manner  of  the  prairies,  "  I  know  what's 
the  matter  with  you,  Cap ;  you've  been  going  and  git- 
ting  married,  and  are  bringing  your  wife  West ! "  cast- 
ing a  look  of  identification  on  Erma  as  the  imported 
bride. 

To  this  Harry,  choking  down  a  rising  curse,  mutters 
in  a  very  hoarse  voice,  "  Steaks  for  two,  and  ham  and 
eggs  turned!  " 

Then  Ferdie  inserts  himself  into  this  scene  of  em- 
barrassment to  the  young  lady,  and  from  which  she  has 
half  risen  to  fly  in  a  sudden  bashful  spasm,  and  says  : 
"Erma,  what  the  deuce  have  you  been  doing?  Mrs. 
Livingston  is  almost  hysterical,  and  thinks  the  Indians 
have  got  you,  when  it  is  only  Captain  Lawrence  and—- 
supper." 

"  Yes,"  answers  Harry,  who  blesses  the  boy  for  his 
interruption  ;  "  I  know  more  about  Western  eating-houses 
than  you  do.  1  have  rescued  Miss  Travenion  from 
the  crowd,  and  reserved  a  table  for  the  rest  of  your 
party.  Just  bring  them  along,  will  you— that's  a  good 
fellow  ? " 

To  this,  Mr.  Chauncey,  who  has  already  met  Lawrence 
upon  the  train  during  the  afternoon,  answers  :  "  Won't 
I  ?  I  have  been  hunting  everywhere  for  a  place  for  our 
ladies.  It  was  these  vacant  chairs  that  attracted  me." 


58  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

Then  the  young  New  Yorker,  having  gone  in  search 
of  his  party,  Miss  Travenion  once  more  finds  herself  sub- 
ject to  the  attentions  of  the  gentleman  beside  her.  But 
these  are  so  very  respectful  that  her  embarrassment 
gradually  vanishes,  and  she  devotes  herself  with  consid- 
erable comfort  of  mind  to  the  supper  which  has  just 
been  placed  before  her,  for  Captain  Lawrence  is  particu- 
larly careful  from  now  on  that  his  attentions  to  her, 
though  effective  as  regards  her  wants,  shall  have  not  the 
slightest  affectation  of  familiarity  in  them. 

So  the  girl,  looking  at  him,  thinks :  "  Some  men  who 
might  consider  themselves  of  perhaps  higher  breeding 
than  this  one  beside  me,  would  have  made  a  joke  out 
of  that  awful  contretemps,  but  Captain  Lawrence  is  a 
gentleman,  and  gentlemen  are  very  much  the  same  all 
the  world  over,"  and  once  or  twice,  when  he  does  not 
notice  it,  she  turns  grateful  eyes  upon  him  during 
pauses  in  the  meal. 

A  moment  after,  Mr.  Chauncey  re-appears,  followed  by 
the  Livingstons. 

Mrs.  Livingston  mutters :  "  Good  gracious,  Erma, 
how  you  frightened  me.  My  heart  is  beating  yet.  If 
anything  had  happened  to  you,  what  would  I  have  said 
to  your  father  ?  " 

She  would  continue  her  emotion,  did  not  Miss  Tra- 
venion quietly  say,  "  You  owe  your  supper  this  evening 
to  Captain  Lawrence,  who  was  kind  enough  to  take 
charge  of  me  in  the  crush,  and  also  to  look  after  your 
interests  in  the  matter  of  chairs  and  vacant  table." 

To  which  Miss  Louise  ejaculates  :  "  Oh,  how  good  of 
you.  I'm  dying  of  hunger  !  "  and  the  widow,  who  still 
remembers  the  fortunate  compliment  of  the  young  man, 
remarks  :  "  Captain,  as  I  owe  my  meal  to  you,  I  will  sit 
beside  you,"  giving  him  a  grateful  glance  and  taking  the 
chair  on  the  young  man's  left  hand. 

Then,  being   compelled  to  it,  Mr.  Oliver  Livingston 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  59 

suddenly  remembers  that  he  has  met  the  Westerner 
before, — a  thing  he  has  forgotten,  though  he  has  passed 
him  several  times  upon  the  train,  and  suddenly  says  : 
"How  are  yer?"  in  an  absent-minded  sort  of  way,  and 
seating  himself  enjoys  the  pleasures  of  gastronomy. 

As  the  party's  appetites  become  satisfied,  their  tongues 
begin  to  move  in  conversation,  and  Harry,  taking 
advantage  of  the  situation,  proceeds  to  make  himself 
very  agreeable  to  Mrs.  Livingston  ;  for  this  young  man 
has  been  thinking  the  matter  over  during  his  three  or 
four  hours  on  the  train,  and  has  concluded  that  to  be  a 
friend  of  the  chaperon's  will  be  very  useful  to  him  in  his 
intercourse  with  Miss  Travenion. 

"  I  was  afraid,"  says  the  New  York  widow,  "  that 
Erma  had  been  carried  off  by  Indians." 

"  Indians,"  remarks  Lawrence,  "  were  plentiful  enough 
about  here  four  or  five  years  ago,  but  the  railroad,  with 
its  settlements,  has  swept  them  back.  In  1867  there  were 
too  many  of  them  at  times,"  and  the  young  man's  brow 
grows  dark  and  his  lips  compressed  with  some  recollec- 
tion of  the  past.  Throwing  this  off,  he  explains  lightly 
to  Mr.  Ferdie,  who  begins  eagerly  questioning  him  on 
the  point,  that  any  buffalo  that  may  be  seen  will  be 
probably  far  to  the  West  of  where  they  are  now  ;  their 
best  hope  of  catching  sight  of  them  being  during  the 
next  day's  journey.  "  If  you  had  wanted  to  see  buffalo 
in  quantities,"  he  continues,  "you  should  have  journeyed 
on  the  K.  P.,  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred 
miles  south  of  here.  There  they  graze,  sometimes,  even 
now,  in  droves  of  ten  thousand  by  the  side  of  the  railway 
track." 

"  By  Jove  !  "  cries  Ferdie  to  this  information,  looking 
with  longing  eyes  to  the  South.  "  But  we  will  return  by 
the  K.  P.,  auntie,  won't  we  ? "  Then  he  questions  sud- 
denly :  "  You  have  killed  buffalo,  haven't  you,  Captain 
Lawrence  ? " 


60  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

"  A  few,"  remarks  the  Westerner  quietly,  and  from 
that  time  on  he  is  a  hero  in  Ferdie's  eyes. 

Mr.  Ollie  having  by  this  time  finished  his  meal, — a 
business  that  he  has  interspersed  with  a  few  curt  remarks 
about  the  badness  and  greasiness  of  Western  cooking 
and  the  general  inefficiency  of  frontier  waiter-girls,  he 
arises  and  suggests,  "  If  you  wish  to  miss  this  train,  you 
had  all  better  linger  a  little  longer  over  the  table." 

To  this,  Mrs.  Livingston  suddenly  gasps,  "  Hurry  ! 
The  passengers  are  all  leaving  the  room  !  " 

"  Oh,  no  hurry  !  They  are  only  gentlemen  anxious  to 
get  at  their  cigars,"  says  Harry,  to  whom  the  meal  has 
been  a  very  pleasant  one,  Miss  Travenion  having  made 
it  brilliant  by  one  or  two  glances  from  her  bright  eyes 
and  a  few  vivacious  remarks. 

But  the  chaperon  suddenly  cries  in  a  voice  of  terror, 
"  If  we  miss  the  train,  we  are  here  on  the  prairies,  un- 
protected and  ALONE  ! " 

This  pathetic  remark,  in  a  rising  young  frontier  city  of 
two  thousand  inhabitants,  produces  a  giggle  from  Miss 
Louise.  She  titters,  "  Pooh,  ma  !  This  is  a  metropolis. 
I  saw  a  dozen  trainmen,  half  a  hundred  loafers  and  one 
or  two  tramps  on  the  platform  as  we  drew  up." 

But  Mrs.  Livingston  having  risen,  the  party  saunter 
towards  the  door,  that  lady  thanking  Lawrence  for 
some  information  he  has  given,  tending  to  dissipate 
her  fears  of  wild  Western  adventure  on  the  railroad. 
She  concludes  this  by  saying,  "  You  must  give  us  a  little 
of  your  aid  and  protection,  we  have  had  so  little  frontier 
experience,  Captain," — a  request  that  gentleman  is  very 
glad  to  accede  to,  and  he  promises  that  he  will  look  after 
them  all,  especially  the  widow,  very  thoroughly  and  very 
faithfully  during  their  journey. 

Harry  in  conversation  with  Mrs.  Livingston  has 
left  the  room,  so  have  Ferdie  and  Louise,  and  Ollie  is 
employed  settling  the  score  ;  Erma  finds  herself  alone. 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  6l 

Actuated,  perchance,  by  a  wish  to  learn  more  of  the 
gentleman  who  has  been  kind  to  her  this  afternoon, 
and  perhaps  prompted  by  some  curiosity  to  know  why 
he  is  treated  with  so  much  respect  under  the  familiar 
appellation  of  "  Cap  "  by  the  Western  waiter-girls,  she 
turns  back,  and  walking  up  to  the  bright-eyed  abigail 
who  has  waited  on  them,  says,  "  You  seem  to  know  the 
gentleman  who  brought  me  into  supper  this  evening 
very  well." 

"  Oh,  Cap  Lawrence  ? "  answers  the  girl.  "  I  should 
think  so  ;  we  all  have  a  pretty  powerful  liking  and  respect 
for  him  about  this  portion  of  the  country." 

"And  why  ?" 

"Why?"  cries  the  Western  girl.  "Don't  you  know? 
Well,  five  years  back,  when  this  'ere  hotel  was  nothin' 
but  a  log  cabin  and  I  worked  giving  meals  to  our  sec- 
tion men,  the  Indians  made  a  raid  up  thar  at  Elm 
Creek,"  she  points  towards  the  west,  "and  if  it  hadn't 
been  for  the  Cap  taking  a  hand-car  and  going  up  the 
track  they  would  have  wiped  out  every  section  hand  to 
the  last  man.  As  it  was,  they  killed  five  of  them,  and  it 
ain't  every  man  out  here  that  wants  to  run  into  a  lot  of 
Sioux  on  the  war-path,  in  an  open  hand-car,  but  Cap 
Lawrence  is  the  man  to  do  it.  You  are  married  to  him, 
ain't  you,  Missus  ?" 

"  No,"  replies  Erma,  growing  very  red.  "  I  am  mar- 
ried to  no  man,"  and  striding  away  from  the  girl  joins 
Ollie,  though  she  catches  a  prophetic,  "  Wa-al,  perhaps 
some  day  you  will  be.  I  seed  him  look  at  you  once  or 
twice,  and  you'll  be  mighty  lucky  if  you  catch  him." 

The  subject  of  this  colloquy  is  standing  on  the  plat- 
form smoking  his  cigar ;  he  sees  Miss  Travenion  pass 
him  upon  the  arm  of  Mr.  Oliver  Livingston,  and  wonders 
why  the  girl  blushes  so  deeply,  though  she  gives  him  a 
pleasant  nod.  Then  he  suddenly  thinks,  "  It  is  that 
accursed  remark  of  that  red-headed  Sally  in  the  eating- 


62  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

house,"  and  does  not  know  that  Sally  has  done  him  one 
of  the  best  turns  that  have  as  yet  come  to  him.  She  has 
set  the  mind  of  the  girl  he  loves  running  upon  a  subject 
that  had  not  as  yet  occurred  to  her.  As  it  is,  Erma  gives 
a  glance  at  the  stalwart  figure  of  the  Westerner  as  he 
stands,  in  athletic  ease,  puffing  his  cigar,  then  catching 
sight  of  Ollie's  rather  diminutive  figure,  compares  the 
two,  perhaps  not  altogether  to  the  advantage  of  Mr. 
Livingston. 

As  Miss  Travenion  is  assisted  into  the  train  by  her 
escort,  Lawrence  looking  at  her  himself  hears  a  low  but 
resonant  whisper  at  his  side,  "By  Jove,  Cap,  ain't  she 
purty  ?  Reckon  she  must  come  from  Chicago."  Look- 
ing around  he  sees  Buck  Powers  standing  at  his  side, 
gazing  in  admiration  at  the  beauty  who  has  caught  and 
entranced  the  engineer's  soul.  This  would  make  Harry 
angry  did  he  not  notice  that  the  news-agent  is  very 
young,  though  his  face  has  that  peculiar  precocity  that 
comes  from  an  early  struggle  with  the  world  and  an  early 
battle  for  life  and  bread,  and  notes  that  the  tone  of  the 
boy  is  as  respectful  and  loving  as  his  would  be  did  he 
happen  to  speak  of  his  divinity. 

A  moment  after,  Mr.  Livingston  returning  from  the  car, 
Captain  Lawrence  accosts  him  and  offers  him  a  cigar. 

"  Awh  !  thanks,"  remarks  Ollie,  being  compelled  to  the 
same,  and  accepting  it,  he  finds  it  to  his  astonishment  to 
be  a  very  good  one, — much  better  than  the  average  weed 
he  would  get  in  a  New  York  club  :  for  this  young  man 
does  not  know  that  the  Western  mining  man  and  specu- 
lator uses  the  very  best  of  cigars,  wines,  and  all  creature 
comforts,  even  when  his  luck  is  hard  and  his  pocket 
almost  empty. 

A  moment  after  Mr.  Lot  Kruger  passes  the  two,  and 
gives  Harry  a  by  no  means  kindly  glance,  for  he  has 
noticed  the  attentions  of  this  gentleman  to  the  daughter 
of  his  old  friend,  and  does  not  like  them. 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  63 

This  feeling  is  perhaps  also  felt,  though  at  this  time  in  a 
lesser  degree,  by  Mr.  Oliver  Livingston,  who  somehow  or 
other  has  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  Miss  Travenion 
likes  to  listen  to  the  conversation  of  this  gentleman  from 
the  West,  and  does  not  like  it  very  much  more  than  Mr. 
Kruger. 

Consequently,  when  the  engineer  rings  the  bell  and  the 
conductor  cries,  "  All  aboard  !  "  Harry  Lawrence  has 
made  one  active  and  one  at  present  passive  enemy, 
though  he  is  rapidly  growing  to  be  a  hero  in  Mr.  Ferdie's 
imagination  ;  and  as  for  Buck  Powers,  he  has  loved  and 
admired  this  young  engineer  of  the  Pacific  Railway  for 
years,  as  nearly  every  other  employee  of  the  same,  espe- 
cially those  engaged  in  its  early  building,  have  done  ever 
since  he  ran  the  lines  in  Nebraska  when  that  State  was 
a  howling  wilderness  of  Indians,  wild  animals,  trappers 
and  prairies. 

Then  the  train,  getting  under  headway,  passes  with 
illuminated  Pullmans  and  flashing  headlight  into  the 
night  of  the  plains.  Miss  Travenion,  with  a  new  interest 
in  her  mind  as  to  this  Western  gentleman  chance  seems 
to  have  thrown  into  her  way,  looks  out  of  her  state- 
room— the  car  is  half  empty,  most  of  its  male  passengers 
being  in  the  smoking  room  with  their  after-dinner  cigars. 
Among  them,  Ferdie  and  Ollie. 

Captain  Lawrence  is  at  the  other  end  of  the  car,  con- 
versing with  Mrs.  Livingston  and  Louise. 

Erma  carelessly  picks  up  a  book, — one  of  Ferdie's 
purchases,  the  volume  on  the  Union  Pacific  Railway  ; 
and  glancing  languidly  over  its  pages,  sees  a  picture  of 
Indians  attacking  a  hand-car,  and  reads,  "  Elm  Creek 
Massacre "  in  large  type.  Beneath  it  is  an  account  of 
the  heroism  of  Captain  Harry  Storey  Lawrence. 

Then  the  brakeman  cries  out  "  Elm  Creek."  The 
train  pauses  for  a  moment,  and  gazing  out,  she  can 
see  the  station  house  on  the  side  track.  A  moment 


64  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

after,  the  locomotive  dashing  on  again,  she  finds  herself 
peering  into  the  darkness  that  lies  upon  the  low  stretch 
of  prairie,  and  wondering  exactly  whereabouts  the  man 
sitting  so  quietly  and  conversing  with  Mrs.  Livingston, 
made  his  fight  ;  and  her  imagination  getting  the  bet- 
ter of  her,  she  seems  to  see  the  stalwart  figure,  which  is 
commencing  to  interest  her,  standing  on  a  little  hand- 
car on  that  lone  prairie,  surrounded  by  Indians  and 
fighting  them  off,  and  saving  the  section  men  surprised 
at  their  work,  as  they  drop  their  tools  and  run  from  their 
labor ;  and  she  sees  his  dark  eyes,  that  she  has  com- 
menced to  know  very  well,  flashing  with  determination 
as  he  encourages  the  fleeing  laborers,  and  getting  them 
on  the  car,  they  make  their  running  fight  towards  the 
station,  and  hears  the  cracking  of  the  deadly  rifles  and 
the  whoops  of  the  pursuing  savages. 

She  is  interrupted  in  this  fantasie  by  Mr.  Living- 
ston's placid  voice,  saying,  "  What  are  you  reading, 
Erma  ? ''  for  she  still  has  the  volume  in  her  hand. 

"  Only  an  account  of  the  construction  of  this  railway," 
says  the  young  lady,  and  she  passes  him  the  volume. 

Looking  over  the  account  of  the  "  Elm  Creek  Massacre," 
Ollie's  eyes  open  rather  widely ;  but,  a  moment  after,  he 
remarks  sneeringly  :  "  This  fiction  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains seems  to  make  quite  a  hero  of  your  friend  Law- 
rence. I  wonder  if  he  wrote  the  book  himself  ? "  And  the 
gentleman  chuckles  to  himself,  imagining  he  has  been 
rather  witty. 

Miss  Travenion's  reply  rather  disconcerts  him. 

"  I  am  glad  you  call  him  my  friend,"  answers  the  girl,  a 
gleam  of  admiration  in  her  blue  eyes.  "Any  man  who 
could  do  what  is  written  there,  is  worthy  to  be  any  woman's 
friend." 

"  Oh,  indeed,"  says  Mr.  Livingston,  rather  nettled  at 
this  ;  partly  because  he  thinks  his  joke  is  not  appreci- 
ated, and  partly  because  he  does  not  care  about  Erma 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  65 

Travenion  showing  an  interest  in  any  other  man  save  his 
own  small  self.  "  I  suppose  you  will  soon  make  a  first- 
class  border  ruffian  out  of  your  hero  ?"  Then  he  utters 
oracularly  :  "  I  wonder  how  it  is  that  some  girls  seem  to 
take  such  interest  in  'men  of  blood.' ' 

"  I  don't  take  interest  in  '  men  of  blood/  "  cries  Miss 
Travenion,  rather  warmly,  for  this  remark  about  border 
ruffians  is  not  pleasing  to  her  ;  "  but  I  do  take  interest  in 
the  men  of  courage,  determination  and  manhood,  who 
are  risking  their  lives  to  make  this  country  a  greater 
America." 

But  here  she  gets  a  surprise  from  Ollie,  who,  incited 
by  the  beauty  of  the  girl,  which  is  made  greater  by  her 
enthusiasm,  replies  suddenly  :  "  If  I  thought  you  would 
like  it,  Erma,  I  myself  would  become  a  pioneer." 

The  idea  of  Mr.  Ollie's  turning  frontiersman,  proves 
too  much  for  Miss  Travenion's  control ;  she  bursts  into 
a  fit  of  laughter,  which  disconcerts  the  young  man,  and 
makes  him  retreat  from  her,  with  a  plaintive,  "  I  meant 
what  I  said.  I  didn't  believe  you  would  treat  my  expres- 
sion of  regard  for  you  with  a  jeer." 

Left  to  herself,  however,  Erma  goes  into  more  thought 
about  this  man  who  has  risked  his  life  for  others,  and 
even  after  she  has  gone  to  bed,  as  she  turns  upon  her 
pillow,  visions  of  Captain  Harry  Storey  Lawrence,  fight- 
ing Indians,  come  to  her,  and  she  wakes  up  with  a 
suppressed  scream,  for  he  is  about  to  be  scalped,  and 
finds  that  it  is  only  the  shriek  of  the  locomotive,  and  the 
war-whoops  of  the  Indians  are  only  the  outcries  of  the 
porter,  announcing  that  they  are  approaching  Sydney, 
where  they  have  thirty  minutes  for  an  early  breakfast. 


66  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

MR.    FERDIE   DISCOVERS    A    VIGILANTE. 

So,  making  a  hasty  toilet,  Miss  Travenion  steps  out  of 
her  stateroom  to  find  the  car  empty,  it  having  already 
arrived  at  the  eating-station,  and  the  passengers  having 
departed  from  it. 

On  the  platform,  however,  she  is  greeted  by  Ferdie, 
who  cries  out  :  "  Come  along,  Miss  Lazy  Bird.  All  the 
rest  are  in  at  breakfast.  I  have  got  some  news  for  you." 

"  News  about  whom  ? "  says  the  girl  lightly. 

"  About  the  Indians.  There's  some  off  there.  You 
needn't  be  afraid  !  I've  got  my  revolver  on,  and  if  they 
act  nasty,  I'll  fix  'em  as  Cap  Lawrence  does,"  says  the 
boy,  and  he  leads  her  a  few  steps  to  one  side,  where 
Erma  sees  a  Sioux  buck,  two  squaws  and  a  pappoose — 
the  warrior  on  a  pony  and  flourishing  about  in  a  red 
blanket  and  soldier  hat,  though  his  leggings  are  of  the 
scantiest  proportions. 

The  squaws,  as  is  their  wont,  extend  their  hands  for 
stray  coins,  though  the  Sioux  are  by  no  means  such  beg- 
gars as  their  more  degraded  cousins,  the  Piutes  on  the 
Central  Pacific  in  Nevada.  Looking  at  these  unedifying 
redskins,  Miss  Travenion  finds  that  Cooper's  novels, 
which  she  had  once  regarded  as  facts,  have  immediately 
become  fictions. 

"  I  was  going  to  get  my  rifle,"  babbles  Ferdie  at  her 
ear,  "  but  Buck  Powers  told  me  I'd  be  jugged  if  I  shot 
at  'em.  They're  at  peace  now."  Then  he  goes  on  con- 
fidentially :  "  I  have  interviewed  Buck  about  Cap  Law- 
rence, and  it  cost  me  about  two  dollars  in  indigestible 
candies  and  peanuts,  but  I  got  the  information.  Buck 
says  the  Cap  is  a  snorter  on  Injuns." 

"  Don't  use  such  language  in  my  presence,  Mr.  Chaun- 
cey,"  cries  Erma  sternly. 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  67 

"Oh,  I  am  only  quoting  Buck,"  answers  Ferdinand. 
"  Buck  says  the  Cap  has  killed  hundreds  of  buffalo  and 
rafts  of  Indians — heaps  of  them.  Say !  What's  the 
matter  with  you  ?  I  thought  you'd  like  to  listen  to  the 
history  of  your  Indian  killer,"  continues  Ferdie,  sur- 
prised ;  for  the  girl  has  turned  suddenly  away  from  him 
and  is  passing  on  towards  the  eating-house. 

Then  he  suddenly  ejaculates,  "Well,  I'm  blizzarded  !  " 
a  queer  wild  notion  having  got  into  his  brain.  And  he 
has  guessed  very  nearly  the  truth  ;  for  Miss  Travenion, 
for  some  reason,  which  is  at  present  indefinite  to  herself, 
is  not  altogether  pleased  at  hearing  this  Western  gentle- 
man's name  always  connected  with  deeds  of  blood. 

In  the  dining-room  she  finds  her  party  seated  at  a 
table,  at  which  a  chair  has  been  reserved  for  her,  but 
Captain  Lawrence  is  not  with  them,  and  looking  about, 
she  sees  him  at  another  table. 

Then  Ferdie,  bolting  his  food,  finishes  his  breakfast  in 
about  five  minutes,  and  departs  in  search  of  Western 
adventure  and  information,  not  on  the  main  platform  of 
the  station,  but  in  out-of-the-way  saloons  and  shanty  bar- 
rooms ;  methods  of  frontier  slumming  that  are  produc- 
tive during  his  trip  of  one  or  two  decided  sensations  to 
this  young  gentleman,  as  well  as  the  rest  of  his  party. 

Shortly  after  Mr.  Chauncey's  departure,  the  meal  being 
finished,  Miss  Travenion  wanders  with  Mr.  Ollie  to  the 
platform,  and  notices  Harry  smoking  his  cigar,  and  sur- 
rounded by  a  lot  of  the  train  men  and  station  officials, 
who  seem  to  crowd  around  him  at  every  stop  they  make, 
as  if  anxious  to  do  him  honor,  Buck  Powers  among  the 
number. 

A  moment  after,  Mr.  Livingston  having  left  her,  the 
newsboy  sidles  up  to  her  and  remarks,  having  an  eye  to 
both  business  and  pleasure,  "I've  got  some  prime  Cali- 
fornia peaches  saved  up  for  you.  You  weren't  out  when 
I  come  through  the  train  before  breakfast — two  dandier 


68  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

at  ten  cents  apiece.  The  Cap  chewed  one  this  morning 
and  said  it  was  fine.  Ain't  he  a  stem-winder,  though  ? " 
goes  on  the  boy.  "  He  was  the  most  popular  man  on 
the  line  when  it  was  built.  You  needn't  pay  for  them 
peaches  unless  they're  good." 

"  Thank  you,  Mr.  Powers,"  answers  the  girl,  giving  the 
boy  a  bright  smile,  for  somehow  she  is  quite  pleased  to 
note  that  Captain  Lawrence  seems  so  well  liked  by  all 
who  know  him. 

"  Call  me  Buck  !  Side-track  the  Mr.  Powers  !  You 
make  me  feel  as  if  you  were  offish,"  says  the  youthful 
news-agent,  giving  Erma  a  glance  of  admiration. 

"  Very  well,  Buck,"  laughs  the  girl.  "  You  may  bring 
me  the  peaches,"  and  would  perhaps  say  more  to  him, 
did  not  Mr.  Lot  Kruger,  who  seems  somehow  to  always 
have  his  eyes  upon  her,  casting  a  quid  of  tobacco  out  of 
his  ample  mouth,  approach  her  and  suggest  affably, 
"Prairie  air  seems  to  bloom  you  up  this  morning,  Miss." 

Then  her  party  being  about  her,  Erma  finds  her- 
self compelled  to  introduce  the  Western  Lot  to  them 
all.  These  introductions  are  very  affably  received  by 
Mr.  Kruger,  who  insists  on  shaking  hands  with  the 
whole  party,  an  attention  not  very  well  received  by 
Oliver,  though  Mrs.  Livingston,  thinking  from  his  pecul- 
iar toilet  he  is  in  some  degree  a  Western  border  ruffian, 
and  it  will  be  best  for  her  personal  safety  to  be  very 
polite  to  him,  receives  him  with  effusive  but  nervous 
politeness,  to  the  joy  of  Lot's  soul.  So  he  seats  himself 
beside  her,  and  goes  into  a  free  and  easy  conversation 
with  the  widow,  giving  her  his  views  of  things  in  general 
and  the  West  in  particular. 

Turning  from  them  towards  her  own  stateroom,  Erma 
chances  to  meet  Captain  Lawrence,  who  is  just  entering 
the  car.  Allured  by  the  bright  nod  she  gives  him, 
this  gentleman  ignores  the  pleasure  of  an  after-break- 
fast cigar,  and  sits  down  to  a  long  conversation  with 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  69 

the  young  lady,  which  is  interrupted  by  occasional 
visits  from  Mr.  Oliver  Livingston,  who  comes  up  at  odd 
times  to  ask  Miss  Travenion  if  he  can  do  anything  for 
her  comfort,  for  he  is  getting  annoyed  at  Erma's  giving 
her  time  to  an  outsider,  as  he  terms  the  engineer,  and  were 
it  not  that  Oliver  Ogden  Livingston  has  such  an  appre- 
ciation of  his  own  charms,  intellect  and  social  position, 
he  would  be  jealous,  which  would  be  a  fearful  tax  on  his 
placid  nerves,  that  are  not  accustomed  to  violent  emo- 
tions. 

As  the  train  passes  along,  the  captain  incidentally 
mentions  a  few  things  of  interest  in  sight  from  the  cars, 
stating  to  Miss  Travenion  that  they  will  soon  be  in  sight  of 
the  Rockies,  and  this  leads  to  the  girl's  asking  him  about 
the  "  Elm  Creek"  affair,  which  he  puts  away,  saying  that 
it  was  not  much,  though  there  were  a  great  many  wild 
doings,  both  by  the  Indians  and  the  whites,  during  the 
construction  of  the  road,  and  some  recollection  coming 
upon  him  from  the  past,  the  young  man's  face  grows 
dark,  and  he  suddenly  changes  the  subject,  saying  that 
Indian  fights  are  not  generally  half  so  desperate  as  some 
affairs  that  took  place  in  the  late  war. 

This  produces  questions  from  Erma,  and  she  learns 
a  good  deal  of  Lawrence's  early  life  ;  how  his  father 
emigrated  from  Massachusetts,  being  a  nephew  of  that 
celebrated  seaman  Lawrence,  whose  words  are  still  re- 
membered— "  Don't  give  up  the  ship  " — and  of  this 
relationship  and  memory  the  young  man  seems  very 
proud. 

He  tells  her  that  his  father  is  now  a  large  farmer  in 
Eastern  Iowa,  and  the  girl  drawing  him  out  by  deft 
suggestions,  learns  that  he  was  educated  for  a  civil 
engineer,  but  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  left  college 
and  went  to  soldiering,  and  became,  after  a  year  or  two 
of  fighting,  captain  of  an  Iowa  battery. 

The  conversation  goes  on    very  pleasantly  until  he 


70  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

suddenly  cries  out,  "  The  Rocky  Mountains  ! "  and 
shows  her  snow-clad  peaks  looming  up  amid  the  blue 
sky  to  the  west,  just  as  the  train  is  running  into 
Cheyenne,  where  something  occurs  that  gives  Miss 
Travenion  a  great  shock,  and  makes  her  change  her 
opinion  considerably  about  this  young  gentleman,  to 
whom  she  has  devoted  so  much  of  her  thoughts  in  the 
last  twenty-four  hours. 

Like  most  of  the  sensations  of  this  life,  it  comes  unex- 
pectedly. 

She  has  just  finished  a  comfortable  sort  of  dinner  in 
the  Cheyenne  eating-house,  and  is  sauntering  about, 
watching  the  change  of  locomotives,  and  trying  to  get  a 
good  look  at  Long's  Peak,  which  is  so  distant  that  she 
can  hardly  tell  whether  it  is  snow  or  cloud,  when  she  is 
joined  by  Mr.  Ferdinand,  who  shocks  her  by  whispering 
these  astonishing  words  :  "  Come  around  the  corner  and 
I'll  show  you  a  telegraph  pole  where  Captain  Lawrence 
hung  a  man." 

"  Hung  a  man  ?  You  are  crazy,"  returns  the  young 
lady  indignantly ;  then  she  sneers,  "  Buck  Powers  invents 
silly  stories  to  incite  you  to  buy  more  candy." 

"Not  at  all  crazy,  but  rather  up  to  the  snuff,"  retorts 
Ferdie,  who  apparently  is  strongly  excited  and  pro- 
foundly impressed.  "Besides,  Buck  didn't  tell  me  this. 
I  have  just  met  a  gambler  in  that  bar-room  over  there  " 
— he  points  to  a  shanty  drinking  saloon,  some  hundred 
yards  down  the  track — "  and  he  says  Cap  Lawrence  hung 
his  pard,  Nebraska  Bill,  to  a  telegraph  pole." 

"  Impossible,"  remarks  Erma  in  angry  scorn. 

"  So  I  thought  at  first,  but  the  man  showed  me  the  tele- 
graph pole  and  said  that  was  where  Lawrence  had  mur- 
dered his  pard." 

"  And  you  believe  this  gambler's  likely  story,"  sneers 
Miss  Travenion. 

"  Of  course  I  do.     I  am  prepared  for  anything  out 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  7l 

here.  I  have  been  making  inquiries  since  I  got  the 
information,  and  they  tell  me  around  here  that  Captain 
Lawrence  was  at  the  head  of  the  Vigilantes  out  here 
four  years  ago,  and  used  to  hang  up  gamblers  in  rows, 
at  the  rate  of  about  half-a-dozen  a  night,"  asserts  Mr. 
Ferdie  confidently.  "  What  do  you  say  to  that  ? " 

"  What  do  I  say  to  it  ? "  cries  Miss  Travenion  with  in- 
dignant eyes.  "  I  say  that  I  will  never  believe  such  a 
thing  until  I  have  proof  of  it." 

"  And  have  not  I  proved  it  ? "  says  Ferdie.  "  How 
can  you  prove  it  any  better  ?  " 

"  By  asking  Captain  Lawrence,"  cries  Erma.  Then, 
not  heeding  Mr.  Chauncey's  expostulations  that  he  does 
not  think  any  less  of  the  captain,  and  that  every  one 
around  says  the  Vigilantes  were  a  necessity,  Miss  Tra* 
venion  goes  hurriedly  into  her  car  and  shuts  herself  in 
her  stateroom,  for  she  is  very  much  shocked  at  this  reve- 
lation, as  any  girl,  brought  up  far  away  from  the  scenes 
of  blood  and  combat  and  swift  justice  of  the  frontier, 
would  be. 

A  few  moments  after  this,  the  train,  drawn  by  two 
giant  locomotives,  gets  under  way,  and  leaving  Chey- 
enne, begins  to  ascend  the  Black  Hills  towards  Sherman. 

As  it  does  so,  Miss  Erma's  privacy  is  invaded  by  Mrs. 
Livingston  and  Ollie. 

'•  You  have  heard  Ferdie's  awful  tale  ? "  gasps  the 
widow. 

"  About  the  murderer  you  picked  up  on  the  train," 
interjects  Mr.  Livingston,  waving  his  white  cuffs,  as  if 
throwing  off  all  responsibility  in  the  matter. 

"  Picked  up  on  the  train  ?  "  cries  Erma,  very  sternly, 
rising  from  her  seat,  her  figure  growing  more  erect,  and 
her  eyes  becoming  burnished  steel.  "  What  do  you 
mean  to  insinuate  ?  " 

"  Oh,  nothing,  of  course,  as  regards  you,"  replies  Ollie, 
who  is  somewhat  quick  of  speech  and  also  hasty  of 


72  MISS    DIVIDENDS. 

retraction.  "  Of  course  you  did  not  know  who  he  was 
any  more  than  I  did  when  that  duffer,  Southmead, 
brought  him  into  our  supper  party  at  Delmonico's." 

"  Ah,  you  are  referring  to  Captam  Lawrence,  Mr.  Liv- 
ingston," says  the  girl,  haughtily. 

"  Certainly.  Mr.  Kruger,  that  friend  of  your  father, 
who  seems  very  affable  and  pleasant,  though  not  a  highly 
cultured  man,  confirms  Ferdinand's  information,"  answers 
Mrs.  Livingston,  taking  this  interview  out  of  her  son's 
hands,  as  he  does  not  seem  to  be  succeeding  very  well. 
"  This  Mr.  Kruger,  who  is  acquainted  with  the  West,  has 
informed  us  that  this  Captain  Lawrence  is  a  very  blood- 
thirsty individual  ;  that  he  is,  in  fact,  amenable  to  the 
laws  of  this  country  for  the  crime  of  murder." 

"  Yes,  cold-blooded,  deliberate  assassination,"  inter- 
jects Ollie,  anxious  to  impress  the  girl.  "  Captain  Law- 
rence headed  the  Vigilance  Committee,  and  hung  up  a 
number  of  unoffending  citizens." 

To  this  Miss  Travenion  says  shortly,  "  I  don't  believe 
you." 

"  Not  even  your  father's  friend  ?  "  cries  Mrs.  Living- 
ston. 

"  No,  neither  he  nor  any  man  else  who  would  say  such 
awful  things  of  Captain  Lawrence.  Oh,  I  cannot  believe 
it  !  "  Then  she  mutters,  "  The  tones  of  his  voice  are  as 
gentle  as  a  child's,"  and  turns  away. 

"  So  were  Johnny  Slade's,"  inserts  Ferdie,  who  has 
just  now  joined  the  party  and  conversation.  "  Besides, 
Buck  Powers  says  the  Cap  was  a  terror  to  gamblers  and 
desperadoes  out  here, — though  I  like  him  all  the  better 
for  it." 

But  here  Miss  Travenion  astonishes  them  all.  She 
says  calmly,  though  there  is  a  tremor  in  her  voice  : 

"  I  refuse  to  give  any  opinion  of  Captain  Lawrence's 
conduct  until  I  have  spoken  to  him." 

"  What !     You  are  going  to — to  speak  to  that  awful 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  73 

man  again  ?  "  gasps  the  widow,  turning  pale.  Then 
she  suddenly  whispers,  "  Don't  tell  him  what  I  said  about 
him.  He  might  murder  us."  And  seemingly  frightened 
at  the  thought  of  the  blood-thirsty  captain's  vengeance, 
she  takes  her  departure  hurriedly  for  her  own  stateroom, 
and  locks  herself  in. 

She  is  very  shortly  followed  by  Ferdie  and  her  son,  to 
whom  his  half-way  sweetheart  says  as  he  departs  :  "  Per- 
mit me  to  satisfy  myself  upon  this  affair  in  my  own 
way  !  " 

Then,  they  having  gone  from  her,  she  sinks  down  and 
shudders,  though  all  the  time  she  does  justice  to  the 
man  of  her  thoughts,  and  defends  him,  and  says,  "  I 
don't  believe  it.  He  is  too  gentle,"  and  finally,  having 
persuaded  herself  that  it  is  all  a  tissue  of  falsehoods, 
unlocks  her  door  and  steps  out  into  the  main  car,  to 
find  herself  face  to  face  with  this  so-called  desperado, 
who  is  calmly  reading  one  of  Harper 's  Monthlies,  his 
"  deeds  of  blood  "  not  seeming  to  hang  very  heavily  on 
his  conscience. 

A  moment  after,  Miss  Travenion  remarks  suddenly  : 
"  Captain  Lawrence,  will  you  pardon  me  if  I  ask  you  a 
question  ? "  and  her  eyes  grow  bright,  but  her  cheeks  are 
pale,  and  her  lips  tremble  as  she  speaks. 

"  Certainly,"  says  Harry. 

As  he  turns  to  her,  the  girl  hesitates  and  falters,  for 
it  has  suddenly  come  to  her,  if  this  man  is  innocent, 
he  will  not  forgive  ;  but  forcing  herself  to  the  ordeal,  she 
falters  out :  "  People  tell  me  what  I  will  not  believe,  that 
— that — you,  while  occupied  here  in  the  arts  of  peace, 
have  hung  up  men  by  the  dozens  to  telegraph  poles  ? 
Is  it  true,  Captain  Lawrence  ? " 

And  he,  some  strange  fear  in  his  eyes,  rises  to  her 
question,  and  though  he  stands  apparently  calm,  the 
strong  fingers  of  his  hand  tremble  a  little  as  they  grasp 
the  arm  of  the  seat,  and  his  face  grows  also  pale,  and 


74  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

there  is  a  slight  twitch  on  one  corner  of  his  moustache 
as  he  murmurs  sadly  :  "  And  they  say  that  of  me  ? " 

"  Yes  !— Is  it  true  ?" 

Then,  after  a  moment's  pause,  the  young  man  answers 
firmly  and  perhaps  proudly  :  "  In  the  troublous  times  of 
1867  and  '68,  surrounded  by  gamblers,  desperadoes  and 
cut-throats,  who  daily  sacrificed  the  lives  of  innocent 
men  and  made  a  mockery  of  both  law  and  justice,  I 
did  what  I  considered  my  duty  as  a  good  citizen.  Do 
you  blame  me  for  it  ?" 

"  You — you  hung  men  without  trial  by  law  ? " 

"  Yes — do  you  blame  me  ?  " 

But  her  only  answer  is  a  frightened,  "  Oh  !  how  could 
you  ?  "  and  Erma  has  swept  past  him  into  her  stateroom, 
the  door  of  which  closes  suddenly  after  her. 

He  makes  one  step  after  her,  as  if  to  say  words  of 
vindication  or  defence  ;  then  bows  his  head  and  moves 
slowly  out  of  the  car,  steadying  himself  with  his  hand. 
So,  standing  upon  the  front  platform,  Harry  Lawrence 
looks  down  on  the  Laramie  Plains,  to  which  the  train  is 
descending,  and  there  are  tears  in  his  eyes.  For  the 
strong  man  is  thinking  of  the  last  words  of  Curley  Jack 
just  before  they  strung  him  up  for  the  murder  of  an  un- 
fortunate creature  of  whom  he  was  jealous.  "  Some  day, 
Cap,  some  woman  will  make  you  crazy  with  misery  as 
I  was  when  I  shot  Kansas  Kate,"  and  he  wonders  if  the 
prophecy  of  the  dying  desperado  is  coming  home  to  him. 

His  meditation  must  be  potent,  for  two  hours  after- 
wards, when  the  train  stops  at  Laramie  for  supper,  and 
his  old-time  railroad  friends  gather  around  him,  they 
wonder  what  has  happened,  and  the  station  agent  re- 
marks, "  The  Cap  looks  as  busted  up  as  if  he  had  lost 
on  four  aces,"  for  he  goes  about  in  a  broken  kind  of  a 
way,  and  once  or  twice,  seeing  some  neighboring  tele- 
graph poles,  turns  from  them  with  a  shudder. 

As  for  Miss  Travenion,  she  has  perhaps  a  harder  two 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  75 

hours  of  it  than  Harry  Lawrence,  for  some  indefinite 
emotion  is  in  her  mind  that  makes  her  wildly  nervous 
and  extraordinarily  excitable.  Three  or  four  times  she 
says  to  herself,  "  Why  should  I  care  if  this  man  has  all 
the  crimes  of  the  Decalogue  on  his  soul  ?  A  week  ago  I 
did  not  know  him.  Twenty-four  hours  back  I  had  seen 
his  face  but  once.  He  shall  pass  out  of  my  life  as 
quickly  as  he  entered  it."  Next  she  remarks,  "He  said 
he  did  his  duty  as  a  citizen."  Then  she  laughs  : 
"  Pshaw,  I  am  growing  nervous  !  I  am  defending  this 
man  !  "  and  grows  very  angry  at,  and  perchance  unjust 
to,  Lawrence  on  account  of  this  idea. 

Anxious  to  get  away  from  the  subject,  she  comes 
out  and  joins  the  Livingston  party,  and  laughs  and  jokes 
with  them,  apparently  in  high  spirits,  though  there  is  a 
feverish  flush  upon  her  cheeks  ;  and  once  to  the  widow's 
remark,  "  Did  he  admit  his  crimes  ? "  and  Ferdie's  laugh- 
ing inquiry,  "  How  many  did  the  Cap  acknowledge  to 
swinging  up  ?  "  she  replies  shortly: 

"  Enough  for  me  to  drop  his  acquaintance  as  rapidly 
as  I  made  it.  From  this  time  on  I  shall  CUT  HIM  !  "  em- 
phasizing the  last  with  a  wave  of  her  hand  and  an  excited 
laugh,  in  so  vigorous  a  manner  thatOllie  is  quite  delighted 
and  happy,  thinking  that  Erma  will  have  no  further 
thoughts  of  the  man  whom  he  has  grown  to  imagine 
his  rival — a  conclusion  he  would  not  so  hastily  have 
come  to  had  he  studied  Miss  Travenion  in  particular, 
or  the  sex  in  general. 

So  the  party  stroll  out  to  supper,  but  Erma,  appar- 
ently gay,  has  no  appetite  further  than  a  cup  of  tea,  and 
hardly  tastes  her  supper. 

Declining  attendance,  she  walks  back  to  her  car,  and, 
seated  by  an  open  window,  looks  out  upon  the  beautiful 
scene,  gazing  toward  the  north,  where  the  Black  Hills 
fade  away  in  the  distance,  and  wonders,  as  the  setting 
sun  shines  upon  her  face,  how  this  land,  which  seems  to 


76  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

her  so  peaceful  and  which  might  be  so  happy,  is  the 
home  of  men  who  regard  human  life  so  lightly. 

But  even  as  she  does  so,  as  luck  will  have  it,  additional 
evidence  on  the  subject  that  is  racking  her  brain  and 
making  her  head  ache,  though  she  will  not  admit  it, 
comes  to  her. 

Two  men  beside  the  track  are  in  conversation.  The 
breeze  wafts  their  words  into  the  car. 

One  remarks  :  "  Cap  Lawrence  came  in  from  the  East 
to-night,  and  I  reckon  every  gambler  in  town  is  hunting 
his  hole." 

"  Why,  are  they  afraid  of  him  yet  ? " 

"  You  bet !  He  put  his  mark  on  'em  so  heavy  they 
don't  forget  him.  Why,  I  remember  one  morning,  three 
years  ago,  seeing  Little  Jimmie,  the  bartender,  hanging 
up  as  graceful  as  life  to  that  telegraph  pole,  with  his 
natty  white  handkerchief  tucked  in  his  hip-pocket,  and 
his  white  sleeves,  with  rubber  bands  on  'em  which  held 
them  up  while  he  was  mixing  drinks.  He  looked  so 
allfired  natural  that  I  called  out :  '  Give  me  a  whiskey 
cocktail,  Jim.'  You  see,  they  took  James  from  behind 
his  bar  so  quick  he  had  no  time  to  let  down  his  sleeves 
and  prepare  himself  for  the  future." 

But  the  girl  hears  no  more  ;  she  has  hurried  to  the 
other  end  of  the  empty  car. 

Ha'd  she  remained  to  listen,  she  would  have  also  heard 
that  Little  Jimmie,  the  barkeeper,  was  as  bad  a  man  as 
had  lived  or  died  in  the  West,  and  the  night  before  his 
sudden  demise  he  had  murdered  and  robbed  two  railroad 
men  who  had  just  been  paid  off. 

But  not  knowing  this,  Erma  has  a  very  stern  look  on 
her  face  a  few  minutes  after,  when  she  sees  Harry  enter 
the  car.  He  makes  a  movement  as  if  to  approach  and 
address  her,  but  the  young  lady  turns  her  head  away  with 
a  sudden  shudder. 

Noting  this,  the  "'Vesterner  leaves  the  car  and  com- 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  77 

mences  to  walk  about  the  platform,  chewing  nervously 
the  end  of  a  cigar  he  has  forgotten  to  light.  Then, 
curiously  enough,  the  girl  peeps  after  him,  and  stands 
aghast,  for  there  is  indignation  in  his  look  as  he  strides 
about,  his  athletic  figure  well  displayed  by  a  loose  shoot- 
ing coat,  and  he  tosses  his  brown  locks  back  from  his 
forehead,  as  if  he  were  facing  an  enemy,  and  his  dark 
eyes  are  gleaming  so  potently  that  Erma  gasps,  "  Why, 
he  looks  like  a  Vigilante  now  !  " 

Soon  the  train  is  crowded  once  more,  and  they  begin 
to  run  over  the  Laramie  Plains,  where  Ferdie  excites 
them  all  by  seeing  a  buffalo,  and  would  get  his  gun  to 
shoot  at  it,  did  not  Mr.  Kruger  remark  :  "  The  critter  is 
nigh  onto  three  miles  off,  and  you  will  throw  away 
your  lead,  sonny." 

As  for  Captain  Lawrence,  he  has  not  entered  their 
car,  and  is  now  in  a  forward  smoker,  purring  away 
desperately,  and  thinking  with  some  regrets  of  the  early 
days  of  the  building  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway,  those 
times  which  tried  men's  souls ;  but  after  turning  over  the 
matter  in  his  mind  he  exclaims  to  himself  :  "By  Heaven  ! 
I  am  glad  I  did  my  duty,  even  if  it  loses  me — "  Here 
he  clenches  his  teeth,  and  a  little  spot  of  blood  comes 
upon  his  lip,  where  he  has  bitten  it. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

WHAT    MANNER    OF   MAN    IS    THIS  ? 

IN  the  rear  car,  Miss  Travenion,  anxious  to  throw 
from  her  mind  a  subject  that  is  distressing,  wanders  to 
the  organ, — for  this  Pullman  was  supplied  with  one,  as 
were  many  Western  sleepers  in  those  days, — and  seating 
herself  at  the  instrument,  runs  her  hands  over  the  keys 
and  begins  to  sing.  Softly  at  first,  but  afterwards  made 


78  MISS    DIVIDENDS. 

enthusiastic  by  melody,  this  young  lady,  who  has  been 
very  well  taught  and  has  a  brilliant  mezzo  voice,  forgets 
all  else,  and  warbles  the  beauties  of  Balfe,  Bellini,  and 
Donizetti  in  a  way  that  draws  the  attention  of  her  fellow- 
passengers. 

Among  them  is  the  Western  Lot,  who,  getting  near  to 
her,  watches  the  lithe  movements  and  graceful  poses 
of  the  girl's  charming  figure,  and  seeing  her  soul  beam- 
ing from  her  glorious  eyes,  mutters  to  himself,  "  What  an 
addition  to  our  tabernacle  choir  after  I  have  made  her 
one  of  the  elect."  For  this  young  lady's  loveliness  has, 
of  late,  been  putting  some  very  wild  ideas  into  the 
head  of  this  friend  of  her  father. 

She  leaves  the  organ,  and  noting  that  Miss  Travenion 
is  somewhat  alone,  for  the  interview  of  the  afternoon 
seems  to  have  produced  a  slight  coolness  between  Mr. 
Livingston  and  Erma,  and  perchance  also  Mrs.  Living- 
ston, this  Western  product  thinks  he  will  devote  himself 
to  the  young  lady's  edification  during  the  remainder  of 
the  evening,  opening  his  remarks  by,  "  You're  comin'  to 
a  great  country,  Miss  Ermie." 

"  Ah,  what  is  that  ? "  asks  the  girl  nonchalantly  but 
politely. 

"  Utah,"  replies  the  enthusiastic  Lot,  "  whar  the 
people  of  Zion  have  made  the  wilderness  to  blossom  as 
a  rose  of  Sharon." 

"  Oh  yes,  where  my  father  is  !  "  cries  Miss  Travenion, 
her  eyes  growing  bright.  "  To-morrow  we  will  be  there." 

"Yes,  in  the  evening,"  assents  Kruger,  an  indefinite 
something  coming  in  his  eyes  that  makes  the  young  lady 
restless. 

A  moment  after  she  suddenly  asks  :  "  Where  is  my 
father  now  ?  " 

"  How  can  I  tell  ?  I  ain't  seen  your  dad  for  nigh  onto 
a  month,"  returns  Lot,  apparently  somewhat  discom- 
posed by  this  point-blank  question. 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  79 

"  But  you  can  surely  make  a  guess,"  suggests  Erma, 
"  where  a  telegram  will  most  probably  reach  him  ?  I 
have  concluded  to  wire  him.  Then  he  will  meet  me 
at  the  station.  I  wish  I  had  done  so  before." 

"Wall,  Salt  Lake  is  the  most  likely  p'int,  I  reckon," 
mutters  Kruger,  who  does  not  seem  over  pleased  at  the 
girl's  idea.  A  second  after  he  suddenly  says  :  "  You 
write  the  message  and  I'll  make  inquiries  along  the 
line.  I  reckon  I'll  find  where  he  is  and  send  it  for  you." 

"  Thank  you,"  says  Erma  warmly.  "  I'll  go  and  pre- 
pare it  at  once." 

Then  leaving  Lot  still  pondering,  she  steps  lightly 
away,  and  in  a  few  minutes  returns  with  the  following  : 

"U.  P.  TRAIN,  Oct.  3,  1871. 

"Arrive  at  Ogden,  to-morrow,  at  five   P.M.     Will  come  through 
to  Salt  Lake  same  night.      Meet  me  at  depot. 
"  Your  loving  daughter, 

"ERMA  TRAVENION." 

"  You'll  add  the  right  address  to  this  when  you  find 
it,  Mr.  Kruger,"  says  the  girl,  handing  him  the  message. 

"  Yes,  I'll  make  inquiries  at  Medicine  Bow,"  returns 
Lot,  taking  the  message,  "and  your  dad  '11  get  it  to- 
morrow morning." 

"  Oh,  you  are  going  to  stay  up  to  send  it  ?  We  don't 
get  to  Medicine  Bow  till  late,  I  know  by  my  time  table. 
How  kind  you  are  !  Papa  shall  thank  you  for  this, 
also,  dear  Mr.  Kruger,"  and  Erma  holds  out  a  soft  pa- 
trician hand,  that  is  greedily  seized  in  strong  fingers 
made  hard  and  red  by  exposure  and  toil. 

Retreating  from  the  grip,  however,  this  New  York 
young  lady  says  earnestly,  "  Thank  you  once  more,  and 
au  revoir  until  to-morrow." 

"  Oh,  thank  me  all  you  want,  Sissy  ;  gratitude  becomes 
young  maidens,"  mutters  Lot,  trying  to  get  the  beautiful 
white  fingers  once  more  in  his. 

"  Indeed  I  am  grateful,"  cries  the  girl,  and  giving  him 


So  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

a  look  that  makes  his  eyes  grow  misty  and  watery,  Miss 
Travenion  closes  the  door  of  her  stateroom,  and  goes  to 
bed  thinking  no  more  of  Mr.  Kruger's  peculiar  expres- 
sion and  glances,  for  he  is  a  friend  of  her  father,  and 
at  the  least  has  fifty  odd  years  to  his  credit  on  the  book 
of  time. 

She  would  be  perhaps  more  concerned  about  her 
father's  friend  did  she  see  Mr. Kruger, whose  knowledge  of 
French  is  very  limited,  after  pondering  to  himself,  "  What 
did  that  gal  mean  by  O-ver  ?  "  finally  answer  his  query  by 
"  Guess  ag'in,  Lot,"  and  betake  himself  to  the  smoking 
car,  where,  after  perusing  the  girl's  telegram  several  times, 
he  slyly  chuckles  to  himself,  "  What  ! — and  spile  my  hopes 
for  myself  and  my  work  for  the  Church  ? "  and  with  this 
curious  but  ambiguous  remark  places  the  document 
coolly  in  his  ample  but  well-worn  pocketbook,  between  a 
list  of  Welsh  emigrants  en  route  for  Salt  Lake  City  and 
a  despatch  from  Brigham  Young ;  and  shortly  after  that 
turn  in  and  sleep  the  sleep  of  the  just,  making  no  attempt 
either  to  find  her  father's  address  nor  to  wire  her  mes- 
sage, either  at  Medicine  Bow  or  any  other  point  on  the 
line. 

Notwithstanding  this,  the  next  morning  at  Green 
River,  where  the  train  stops  for  breakfast,  Mr.  Kruger 
is  on  hand  to  help  her  from  the  car  and  say  with  paternal 
voice,  "  Sissy,  Dad's  happy  now.  Dad's  happy  now  !  " 

"  Ah,  you've  sent  the  message,"  exclaims  Erma  with 
grateful  eyes. 

"  Yes,  it  flewed  away  during  the  early  morning,"  mut- 
ters Lot,  which  happens  to  be  the  exact  truth,  as, 
thinking  the  thing  over,  he  had  concluded  it  was  best  not 
to  have  the  message  on  his  person,  and  had  torn  it  and 
tossed  it  out  of  the  car  window  to  the  winds  of  Heaven, 
as  the  train  had  run  down  those  alkaline,  non-drinkable 
waters,  cursed  by  early  emigrants  and  pioneers  under 
the  name  of  Bitter  Creek. 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  8t 

But  Erma  Travenion  hardly  heeds  him  ;  her  eyes  are 
towards  the  West  and  she  is  murmuring,  "  Papa — perhaps 
this  afternoon, — certainly  to-night ! — if  not  Ogden — 
surely  Salt  Lake  !  "  and  her  face  is  so  happy,  and  she 
goes  to  thanking  Mr.  Kruger  so  heartily  for  his  kindness 
in  sending  the  telegram,  that  he  might  have  pangs  of 
conscience  as  to  what  he  intends  for  this  Eastern  butter- 
fly, who  comes  with  brightness  on  her  wings  into  the 
West,  had  he  not  been  used  to  dealing  with  all  people 
sternly,  even  himself,  when  acting  for  the  glories  of 
Zion,  and  the  smiting  down  of  unbelievers. 

Then  being  joined  by  the  Livingstons  and  Mr.  Chaun- 
cey,  who  have  been  looking  at  the  surprising  scenery  of 
this  river,  the  first  water  they  have  as  yet  met  which 
flows  into  the  blue  Pacific,  she  goes  in  to  breakfast ; 
Mr.  Kruger,  who  seems  to  feel  more  at  his  ease  as  he 
nears  his  native  heath,  walking  alongside  of  Miss  Beauty. 
Pointing  to  the  great  elk  heads  with  their  branching 
antlers  on  the  hotel  walls,  he  remarks,  "  Thar's  any 
quantity  of  them  critters  up  thar  in  the  Wind  River 
Mountains,  in  which  this  'ere  stream  heads." 

"You've  been  up  there?"  asks  Ferdie,  always  excited 
when  big  game  is  mentioned. 

"  Wall  rather,"  returns  Lot.  "  I  was  up  all  about  thar 
and  the  Rattlesnake  Hills  and  the  Sweetwater  Mountains 
and  South  Pass  and  Independence  Springs  in  1857,  when 
Johnston  and  the  U.  S.  troops  were  comin'  through,  and 
we  rounded  up  and  burnt — "  But  here  he  stops  very 
suddenly. 

"  What  did  you  burn  ? "  queries  Mr.  Chauncey,  anx- 
iously. 

"  Oh,  nothin'  to  speak  of — brushwood  and  such  truck," 
returns  the  uncommunicative  Lot.  "  But  here's  the  din- 
ing-table,  Sonny !  " 

Then  the  party  being  seated,  notwithstanding  Mr. 
Kruger's  efforts  at  conversation  and  the  delights  of  gas- 
6 


82  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

tronomy,  Miss  Travenion's  eyes  will  wander  about,  seek- 
ing an  athletic  figure  that  she  sees  not  ;  for  somehow  she 
misses  the  man  of  yesterday,  and  despises  herself  for  it. 

Towards  the  close  of  their  meal  there  is  a  slight  com- 
motion outside,  and  the  man  taking  the  money  at  the 
door  as  the  wayfarers  pass  out,  deserts  his  post.  Ferdie, 
who  is  so  seated  that  he  can  look  through  the  open 
windows,  suddenly  says,  "  It's  some  accident;"  next  cries, 
"  It's  Buck  Powers  !  "  and  rushes  from  the  room. 

A  moment  after  Erma  finds  herself  outside  among  an 
excited  crowd,  gazing  at  Captain  Lawrence  striding  along 
the  platform,  bearing  in  his  arms  the  form  of  Buck,  the 
news-agent. 

"  The  boy  was  coupling  the  cars,  and  forgot  till  too 
late  they  had  Miller  platforms  that  come  together,"  says 
the  captain,  mentioning  a  kind  of  accident  very  common 
on  the  first  introduction  of  this  life-saving  invention, 
which  until  railroad  men  got  accustomed  to  it,  was  a  source 
of  danger  instead  of  safety,  as  it  now  is.  Then  he  goes  on 
quite  tenderly,  "  But  I  got  there  in  time,  didn't  I,  Buck  ?  " 

And  the  news-boy  opens  his  red  eyes  and  gasps,  "  You 
bet  you  did,  pard,"  and  there  is  a  little  cheer  from  the 
crowd,  over  which  Lawrence's  voice  is  heard  :  "  Get  a 
doctor,  quick  !  " 

Then  a  looker-on  says,  "  Take  him  to  the  hotel." 

But  Buck  groans,  "  Keep  me  on  the  train,  or  they  will 
steal  all  my  stock  of  goods  and  I'll  be  busted,"  and  some 
one  suggests  the  baggage  car. 

To  this  Lawrence  quietly  says,  "  No,  I'll  put  him  in 
my  section,"  but  on  arriving  there  with  the  boy  in  his 
arms,  he  finds  Erma  standing  beside  him,  and  whispering, 
"  My  stateroom,  please.  It's  quieter  in  there." 

On  hearing  her  voice,  the  young  man  looks  at  her  a 
moment  as  if  in  thought  ;  then  shortly  says,  "  Yes,  it  is 
best  as  you  say.  Thank  you,  Miss  Travenion,"  and 
carries  the  boy  in. 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  83 

She  can  see  him  very  tenderly  brush  the  matted  hair 
from  off  the  sufferer's  face,  and  hears  about  her,  from 
excited  passengers,  that  Captain  Lawrence  had  risked  his 
life  to  save  that  of  a  waif  of  the  railroad. 

A  moment  after  the  doctor  comes,  and  making  a  short 
examination,  the  man  of  science  says  that  the  boy  is  only 
generally  bruised  and  shaken  up,  and  will  come  around 
all  right  if  he  is  made  quiet  and  sent  to  sleep,  and  would 
give  him  an  opiate,  did  not  Buck  cry  out  piteously, 
"  Don't  make  me  insensible,  Doc.  My  box  is  open,  and 
the  train  hands  will  eat  all  my  candies  and  peanuts  and 
Californey  fruit,  and  bust  me  up  in  business." 

"  I'll  attend  to  that,  Buck,"  answers  the  captain  quietly. 
"  I'll  lock  up  your  boxes,"  and  getting  the  key  from  the 
boy,  he  bows  slightly  to  Miss  Travenion  and  goes  out  of 
the  car  on  his  errand,  pursued  by  the  grateful  eyes  of 
this  Arab  of  the  railroad.  A  moment  after  the  doctor 
puts  the  boy  to  sleep,  and  Erma  steps  out  of  her  state- 
room, to  find  that,  Harry  having  departed,  the  passengers 
on  the  car  are  discussing  him  very  generally,  though  in 
low  tones  of  voice,  as  if  fearing  to  disturb  the  slumber- 
ing invalid. 

Their  conversation  gives  her  a  new  idea  of  Captain 
Lawrence,  for  she  learns  the  opinion  of  those  who  have 
lived  near  him  and  are  acquainted  with  frontier  habits 
and  frontier  methods  ;  and  they  tell  her  that  this  young 
man  is  respected  and  honored  for  the  very  deeds  which 
she  has  condemned  in  him  and  for  which  she  has  cut 
him  off  from  the  smiles  of  her  face  and  the  words  from 
her  lips. 

She  hears  expressions  of  admiration  on  all  sides,  and 
one  man,  a  miner  from  Colorado,  and  at  present  in- 
terested in  the  workings  of  a  big  coal  property  near 
Evanston,  says  :  "  That  fellow  who  risked  his  life  to  save 
that  foolish  news-boy  is  '  clean-grit.'  He  and  a  few  others 
like  him,  made  some  of  the  towns  on  this  railroad  habit- 


84  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

able.  A  man's  life  wasn't  safe  in  Cheyenne,  but  they 
wiped  out  every  desperado,  cut-throat  and  bunco-steerer 
in  that  town,  and  now  it  is  comfortable  to  live  in." 

A  moment  after  expressing  this  opinion,  this  gentle- 
man is  rather  astonished  to  find  the  beautiful  young  lady 
from  the  East  sitting  beside  him  and  saying  in  anxious 
voice  :  "  You  think  Vigilance  Committees  right  ?  You 
have  had  experience.  Tell  me  all  about  them." 

"  They  are  right,  if  self-preservation  is,"  he  answers. 
Then,  being  a  man  of  wide  Western  experience,  and 
noting  the  anxious  look  on  the  girl's  face,  he  tells  her 
that  the  average  frontier  desperado  is  very  careful  of  his 
own  life,  though  very  careless  of  that  of  others,  and  if  he 
is  certain  of  dying  twenty-four  hours  afterwards,  he  will 
do  no  murder.  And  he  gives  her  a  little  history  of 
Vigilance  Committees  in  general,  and  tells  her  how  at 
White  Pine,  the  first  rush  into  that  mining  camp  being 
composed  of  old  California  and  Nevada  miners,  they 
had  said,  "  This  will  be  a  red-hot  place  for  cut-throats, 
bullies  and  blacklegs,"  and  had  organized  a  Vigilance 
Committee  before  they  built  the  town  of  Hamilton  ;  and 
there  had  never  been  a  murder  in  it,  until  long  after  the 
Vigilance  Committee  and  nearly  all  other  inhabitants  left 
it ;  and  that  Pioche,  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  away, 
with  a  population  similar  to  Hamilton,  had  averaged 
eighteen  homicides  a  day,  most  of  them  wilful  murders, 
simply  because  the  men  who  committed  them  knew  that 
they  would  not  be  avenged,  there  being  no  Vigilance 
Committee  in  that  place  ;  then,  warming  to  his  subject, 
he  goes  on  with  the  history  of  early  Montana,  when  it 
was  impossible  for  any  man  to  carry  gold  from  Helena 
to  Salt  Lake  City  and  live  through  the  trip  ;  and  people 
wondered  why  none  of  the  highwaymen  who  robbed, 
looted  and  murdered  on  that  trail  through  Southern 
Idaho  to  Utah  were  never  brought  to  justice,  and  that 
a  Vigilance  Committee  was  formed,  and  the  first  man 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  85 

they  hung  in  the  Territory  was  the  sheriff,  and  that  after 
that  they  continued  their  work  with  such  success  that 
for  eight  years  thereafter  no  homicide  was  committed 
in  all  Montana. 

Next  getting  excited,  he  winds  up  by  saying,  "  The 
best  citizens  of  these  places  were  Vigilance  men.  There 
was  no  law,  but  they  made  peace  ;  there  was  no  justice, 
but  they  made  the  land  free  from  blood,"  and  is  aston- 
ished at  the  end  of  this  discourse  to  receive  a  grateful 
"Thank  you,"  from  the  young  lady,  whose  eyes  seem  to 
have  grown  happier  during  his  lecture  upon  the  moral- 
ity of  Lynch  law. 

Then,  Miss  Travenion,  some  load  seeming  to  have 
been  lifted  from  her  mind,  turns  to  her  stateroom,  to 
watch  over  the  sleeping  newsboy.  As  she  sits  gazing 
at  the  recumbent  invalid,  she  wonders,  "  Why  should  I 
be  happy  to  hear  that  Harry  Lawrence  is  not  regarded 
as  a  murderer  by  those  who  have  seen  him  kill  ? "  and 
while  musing  upon  this,  the  boy  opens  his  eyes,  for  the 
effect  of  the  opiate  has  passed  off,  Erma's  conversation 
with  the  Western  man  having  been  a  long  one. 

A  moment  after,  he  says  faintly,  "  If  you  please,  Miss, 
I  would  like  to  go  back  to  business.  This  trip  ain't 
goin'  to  pay  me  nothing." 

"  You  lay  quiet,  Buck,"  whispers  the  girl.  "  I'll  attend 
to  your  business  for  you,"  for  a  sudden  idea  has  come 
into  Erma's  head.  She  steps  lightly  out  into  the  car, 
and  taking  off  her  straw  hat,  throws  a  greenback  into  it, 
and  goes  about  among  the  passengers  of  the  Pullmans, 
taking  up  a  collection  for  the  injured  waif,  which  nets 
him  a  great  deal  more  than  the  profits  of  his  trip  would 
have  been,  even  were  he  in  good  health  and  pursuing 
his  business  with  his  usual  keenness. 

Coming  in  from  this,  she  shakes  the  money  joy- 
fully before  the  boy's  eyes  and  laughs,  "What  kind  of 
a  news-agent  do  you  think  I  make  ?  There  are  the 


86  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

profits  of  the  trip,  Buck.  Take  some  of  this  lemonade 
and  go  to  sleep  again." 

To  which  the  boy  murmurs,  "  You  would  make  a 
corker.  They'd  buy  two-year-old  peaches  from  you — 
they  would,"  drinks  down  the  beverage  her  white  hand 
places  at  his  lips,  and  so  goes  to  sleep  again. 

All  this  time  the  train,  which  seems  to  rattle  along 
very  merrily  to  the  girl,  has  been  leaving  the  valley 
of  the  Green  River — that  stream  which  flows  between 
sandstones  that,  rising  hundreds  of  feet  above  its  banks, 
have  the  appearance  of  domes  and  mediaeval  castles  and 
cathedrals,  making  it  as  picturesque  as  the  Rhine,  only 
much  more  grand ;  for  far  below,  on  its  course  to  the 
blue  Gulf  of  California,  its  cliffs  from  hundreds  of  feet 
grow  into  thousands,  and  its  cathedrals  and  domes  and 
palaces  and  ruins  are  those  of  giants,  not  of  men,  for 
this  river  is  really  the  Colorado,  and  its  Grand  Canon 
is  the  most  sublime  spectacle  of  the  whole  American 
continent,  not  even  excepting  the  tremendous  mountains 
and  glaciers  of  the  British  Northwest. 

So,  after  a  few  hours'  running  over  plateaux  nearly  as 
barren  as  the  Sahara  Desert,  though  they  would  blossom 
like  the  garden  of  Gethsemane  could  irrigation  ever  be 
brought  to  them,  they  approach  the  high  tablelands  at 
Piedmont,  and  climbing  through  long  snow  sheds  to 
Aspen  Hill,  run  down  the  valley  of  the  Bear  River,  by 
which  stream  the  train  winds  its  way  to  Evanston,  the 
last  town  in  Wyoming  Territory. 

As  they  progress  westward,  Miss  Travenion  leaves  the 
sleeping  boy,  and  coming  to  Mrs.  Livingston's  stateroom, 
finds  that  lady  in  conversation  with  Mr.  Kruger,  who 
seems  to  be  very  happy  at  getting  back  to  his  Utah 
home. 

"  You  will  soon  find  yourself  in  a  beautiful  land,"  he 
says.  "  You  see  them  great  mountains  down  thar  ? " 
He  points  to  the  Uintah  Range,  whose  peaks  go  up  into 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  87 

the  blue  sky  at  the  south  like  a  great  snowy  saw. 
"  Dow.n  in  thar  is  a  valley,  one  of  the  purtiest  pieces  of 
grazing  land  and  farming  property  in  the  whole  Terri- 
tory, Kammas  Praharie,  and  I've  got  as  pretty  a  ranch 
down  there  as  in  Utah,  and  lots  of  cattle  and  horses,  and 
in  my  house  four  as  nice-looking  young —  He  checks 
himself  as  suddenly  at  the  last  of  this  speech'  as  if  he 
were  struck  with  a  club. 

Which  Ferdie  noticing,  asks,  "  Why  are  you  always 
snapping  your  jaws  together  before  you  finish  your  sen- 
tences ?  One  would  think  you  had  something  to  conceal." 

"  Not  much  !  "  replies  the  accused,  his  face  getting 
very  red,  however.  "  Any  one  can  investigate  the  life  of 
Lot  Kruger,  and  find  that  he's  as  upright  and  above 
board  as  the  Lot  of  the  Scriptures,  and  what  he  has  done 
has  been  did  with  the  advice  and  sanction  of  his  church, 
and  that's  more,  I  reckon,  than  you  can  say,  young  man, 
though  you're  not  much  over  kid  high  yit !  " 

But  any  further  discussion  is  stopped  by  the  train 
running  into  Evanston,  where  are  the  great  coal  mines. 
Here  they  take  dinner,  and  Miss  Travenion  has  hopes 
of  gaining  conversation  with  Captain  Lawrence,  but  she 
only  succeeds  in  seeing  him  at  a  distance,  and  thinks  he 
looks  very  stern,  which  is  the  truth,  for  he  has  just  re- 
ceived some  telegrams  from  Salt  Lake  about  his  mining 
property  that  by  no  means  please  him.  He  would  doubt- 
less brighten  up,  however,  did  he  but  know  that  the  girl 
is  very  anxious  to  say  a  few  words  to  him  and  even  offer 
a  generous  apology  to  this  Vigilante,  —  this  "  man  of 
blood." 

After  a  little,  a  couple  of  locomotives  helping  them 
over  a  slight  grade,  they  come  into  Echo  Canon,  and 
begin  to  descend  to  the  valley  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake  ; 
then  going  on,  the  Weber  River  comes  in  from  the  south, 
where  the  melting  streams  of  the  Uintah  Mountains 
give  it  birth.  So  skirting  the  willow  and  cottonwood 


88  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

banks  of  this  beautiful  stream,  they  run  by  the  Thousand 
Mile  Tree  and  the  Devil's  Slide  and  the  old  Mormon 
bridge  ;  and  many  little  hamlets  and  orchards,  which 
seem  very  green  and  beautiful  to  the  girl  after  the  long, 
weary  stretches  of  desert  she  has  just  left,  till  they  come 
to  the  Narrows,  where  two  great  mountains  of  the  Wah- 
satch  appear  to  bar  the  passage.  But  the  cliffs  open, 
and  the  train  bursts  through  to  where  the  valley  of  Salt 
Lake  is  spread  before  them,  and  Erma  sees  the  inland 
sea  she  has  often  read  about,  as  the  cars  run  down 
towards  it  'mid  green  pastures  and  lowing  cattle  and 
thrifty  orchards,  for  it  is  where  the  Mormons  have  set 
their  home  in  the  wilderness,  and  by  the  arts  of  peace 
have  made  a  land  of  plenty,  in  order  to  uphold  a  form 
of  government  which,  like  that  of  the  ancient  Druids,  is 
founded  on  blood  atonement  and  the  sacrifice  of  its  un- 
believers and  its  enemies. 

But  here  the  girl  suddenly  thinks  of  her  invalid,  and 
going  back  to  her  stateroom,  finds  Buck  sitting  up,  and 
again  ready  to  battle  with  the  world. 

"  You  and  the  Cap  has  done  me  a  good  turn,"  he  says. 
"  Some  day  I'll  even  up  on  you,"  and  his  gray  eyes 
speak  more  strongly  than  his  words,  that  some  day  the 
deeds  of  this  Bedouin  of  the  railroad  will  tell  her  more 
than  he  mutters. 

"  You're  beautiful  enough  to  be  a  Chicago  gal,"  he 
mutters.  "  The  Cap  thinks  so  too  !  "  This  compliment 
drives  her  away  from  him,  and  she  has  red  cheeks,  though 
she  is  laughing. 

But  the  train  is  now  running  into  Ogden,  and  murmur- 
ing, "  My  father  !  "  Miss  Travenion  darts  to  the  plat- 
form of  the  car  and  searches  with  all  her  eyes  for  his 
loved  form  and  dear  face.  After  a  little,  disappoint- 
ment comes  upon  the  girl,  and  she  mutters,  "  He  is  not 
here."  Next  she  says  to  herself,  "  Only  three  hours 
more  to  Salt  Lake.  There  he  must  be  !  " 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  89 

Then  Mrs.  Livingston  and  Louise  attempt  consolation, 
and  shortly  after  the  party  make  their  way  some  three 
hundred  yards  north  of  the  Union  and  Central  depots,  to 
where  at  that  time  the  station  of  the  Utah  Central  was 
located,  and  prepare  to  board  the  train  that  is  standing 
ready  to  run  thirty  odd  miles  to  the  south  to  the  city 
over  which  the  Mormon  Hierarchy  is  still  dominant, 
though  their  power  is  beginning  to  wane  under  the 
assaults  of  migrating  Gentiles,  who  have  come  to  this 
Territory,  brought  by  the  Pacific  railroads,  to  search  for 
the  silver  and  gold  in  its  mountains. 

At  this  little  station  Captain  Lawrence's  cause  gets 
another  and  most  happy  advancement  in  the  girl's  mind. 
Some  five  minutes  before  the  train  is  ready,  Mr.  Ferdie 
wanders  off  from  the  party,  and  a  few  moments  after 
Miss  Travenion  notices  him  in  earnest  conversation  with 
a  gentleman  apparently  of  the  cowboy  order. 

Exchanging  a  few  words,  the  young  man  and  his 
chance  acquaintance  walk  down  a  sidewalk  to  a  saloon, 
standing  about  a  hundred  yards  from  the  railroad. 

At  this  moment,  Erma  also  notes  Captain  Law- 
rence walking  rapidly  over  from  the  Union  Depot,  ap- 
parently having  made  up  his  mind  to  catch  this  train  for 
Salt  Lake  also,  and  hopes  to  herself,  "  This  will  be  my 
time  for  explanation." 

But  even  while  she  does  so,  the  gentleman  upon  whom 
she  is  gazing  casts  two  quick,  sharp  glances  at  Ferdie  and 
his  companion,  and  instantly  changing  his  direction  and 
quickening  his  pace,  makes  straight  for  the  saloon  just  as 
the  two  disappear  behind  its  door. 

"  He  will  give  me  no  opportunity  for  apology,"  says 
Erma  to  herself.  "  Very  well,  the  next  advance  shall 
come  from  him  !  "  and  her  pretty  foot  tapping  the  plat- 
form impatiently,  she  turns  away  and  watches  the  bag- 
gage-men loading  their  trunks  upon  the  Utah  Central 
train. 


90  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

A  moment  after,  she  is  aroused  from  her  reverie  by  the 
sound  of  the  bell  upon  the  station,  which  always  heralds 
out-going  trains,  and  Mrs.  Livingston,  coming  to  her, 
gasps,  "  Where  is  Ferdie  ?  The  conductor  tells  us  we  have 
only  a  minute  more.  He  is  not  here.  My  Heaven,  not 
here  ! " 

"  I  know  where  he  is,  and  I'll  find  him,"  answers 
Erma,  and  runs  hastily  down  the  sidewalk  to  where  she 
has  last  seen  the  errant  youth.  As  she  approaches,  how- 
ever, she  pauses  a  moment,  for  the  thought  suddenly 
strikes  her,  "  If  Captain  Lawrence  is  there,  perhaps  he'll 
think  I  want  to  speak  to  him." 

But  remembering  that  haste  is  vital,  she  hastily  opens 
the  saloon  door,  and  stands  appalled  ;  for  a  sight  meets 
her  such  as  seldom  comes  to  a  New  York  young  lady. 
The  signs  of  combat  are  about  her — a  table  has  been 
thrown  over,  a  broken  spittoon  and  scattered  cards  are 
lying  on  the  floor — and  Ferdie,  his  light  suit  in  the 
sawdust  of  the  barroom,  is  held  down  upon  his  back, 
while  over  him,  one  knee  upon  his  chest,  is  a  man  with 
black  sombrero  and  buckskin  leggings  and  red  shirt,  and 
awful  hand  with  uplifted  bowie,  ready  to  strike  the  young 
heart  that  is  panting  beneath  his  grasp,  did  not  Harry 
Lawrence  grasp  it  with  his  left,  and  with  his  right  hand 
press  the  cold  muzzle  of  a  Colt's  revolver  against  the 
desperado's  forehead. 

Then  Lawrence's  voice  speaks  clear  as  a  bell :  "  Drop 
that  knife  !  You  know  me,  Texas  Jack.  I  hung  up  your 
pard  in  Laramie.  Drop  that  knife  or  I  fire." 

At  his  word  the  bowie-knife  comes  to  the  floor.  Then 
Harry  says  coolly :  "  Throw  up  your  hands  and  walk  out 
in  front  of  me,"  and  keeping  the  man  before  his  pistol, 
marches  him  out  of  the  saloon.  On  the  sidewalk  he 
remarks  : 

"  Don't  look  back  until  you  have  gone  a  hundred 
yards,  or  you  are  a  dead  man.  March  !  "  And  Texas 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  91 

Jack,  his  spurs  clinking  in  the  dust,  and  a  deck  of  monte 
cards  slipping  from  his  clothes  as  he  walks,  proceeds  on 
his  way,  and  does  not  turn  back  till  he  has  got  out  of 
sight. 

Then  the  bell  of  the  locomotive  is  suddenly  heard. 
Lawrence  cries  :  "  Hurry.  You'll  miss  the  cars  !  "  and 
waves  Erma,  who  is  too  much  agitated,  and  Ferdie,  who 
is  too  much  out  of  breath,  to  speak,  to  follow  him.  And 
they  all  run  to  the  station  of  the  Utah  Central,  where 
Miss  Travenion  gives  a  gasp,  for  the  train  has  already 
run  out,  and  they  can  see  it  making  its  way  to  the  bridge 
across  the  Weber  bound  for  the  city  of  the  Saints. 

"  Anyway,  God  bless  you  !  "  cries  Ferdie,  who  has 
gained  his  wind.  "  You  saved  my  life." 

"Yes,"  says  Harry  shortly,  "this  time;  but  perhaps 
the  next  there  will  be  no  one  there  to  help  you.  And 
take  my  advice,  young  man  :  don't  go  hunting  adventures 
out  here,  not  even  if  they  tell  you  there  is  a  grizzly  bear 
chained  in  the  back-yard." 

"  Why  !  "  says  Mr.  Chauncey  with  a  little  gasp,  "  that 
is  just  what  he  did  tell  me." 

"Ah,  I  guessed  right,"  says  Lawrence  with  a  slight 
sneer,  for  Mr.  Ferdinand  had  been  made  a  victim  of  the 
notorious  bear  game,  as  were  many  others  about  that 
time  in  Ogden.  Then  he  goes  on  :  "  Don't  play  three 
card  monte,  and  if  they  rob  you,  don't  knock  the  villain 
down,  for  he  is  sure  to  be  armed,  and  your  life  is  pleas- 
ant to  you  still,  I  guess,  young  man." 

With  this  he  turns  away,  but  Erma  is  after  him,  and 
puts  her  hand  on  his  arm,  whispering,  "  How  bravely 
you  saved  him  !  I  have  learned  the  truth  about  you. 
Forgive  me  !  " 

But  the  man  she  addresses  is  apparently  not  easy  to 
conciliate,  and  he  remarks  curtly,  "  You  did  not  give 
me  the  right  even  a  Vigilance  Committee  would  give  !  " 

"  What  right  ? " 


92  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

"The  right  to  defend  myself!"  And  he  heeds  not 
Erma's  pleading  eyes. 

Then  she  whispers,  "  Give  me  the  justice  I  denied 
you.  Let  me  explain  also.  How  was  I,  a  girl  brought 
up  in  a  land  of  peace,  to  know  that  men  could  exist  like 
that  one  from  whom  you  saved  Ferdie  just  now  ;  that  to 
protect  the  innocent  it  was  necessary  to  slay  the  guilty, 
and  right,  too?"  and  then  bursts  forth  impetuously, 
"  Wretches  like  that  mitrderer  I  saw  out  there  I  would  kill 
also  !  " 

But  the  young  man  does  not  seem  to  heed  her  ;  and 
muttering,  "  You  don't  forgive  me  any  more  than  you 
did  the  murderers,"  she  falters  away  and  says  piteousiy, 
"  And  I— alone  here  !  "  And  there  are  tears  in  her  beau- 
tiful eyes  ;  for  at  this  moment  Ferdie  seems  very  little  of 
a  protector. 

This  last  affects  Lawrence.  He  steps  to  her,  ejacu- 
lating huskily,  "  Not  as  long  as  I  am  here  ! " 

"Oh,  thank  you,"  cries  the  girl.  "  You  will  take  care 
of  me.  How  nice  !  "  her  smiles  overcoming  her  tears. 

"  Certainly.  That  is  my  duty,"  answers  Harry,  still 
coldly,  for  he  has  been  very  deeply  wounded. 

"  I  don't  want  your  duty  !  "  answers  Erma  hotly. 

•"  What  do  you  want  ? " 

"  Forgiveness  !  Don't  punish  me  with  kindness,  and 
still  be  implacable.  Forgive  me,"  pleads  the  young  lady, 
her  little  hand  held  out  towards  her  judge. 

Then  Miss  Travenion  gives  a  startled  little  "  Ough  !  " 
for  her  fingers  receive  a  grip  that  makes  her  wince,  and 
as  their  hands  meet,  piquant  gaiety  comes  over  the 
young  lady,  and  the  gentleman  begins  to  smile,  and  his 
eyes  grow  sunny. 

A  second  after  he  says,  "  If  I  am  responsible  for  you, 
I  must  look  after  you.  You  must  have  dinner,  and  so 
must  Ferdie,"  and  he  calls  cheerily  to  the  youth,  who 
has  been  brushing  the  sawdust  of  barroom  floor  and  the 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  93 

dirt  of  combat  from  his  light  travelling  suit.  "You 
are  up  to  a  bite,  young  bantam,  ain't  you,  after  your 
scrimmage  ?  " 

"Yes,  I'm  dead  hungry,"  answers  Mr.  Chauncey. 
"  But  Erma,  your  French  maid  is  in  the  waiting-room, 
crying  her  eyes  out.  She  says  my  aunt  left  her  with 
your  hand -baggage." 

"  Clothes  !  "  screams  Miss  Travenion.  "  There's  a 
new  dress  in  my  travelling  bag  !  Oh  !  to  get  rid  of  the 
dust  of  travel,"  and  growing  very  happy  at  this  find— as 
what  woman  would  not  ? — she  and  Lawrence  walk  across 
the  tracks  to  the  railroad  hotel,  followed  by  the  maid 
and  Ferdie,  who  brings  up  the  rear,  stopping  at  every 
other  step  to  examine  his  summer  suit  for  rent  of  combat, 
and  to  give  it  another  brush  from  barroom  dirt,  and 
shortly  arrive  at  the  hostelry  that  lies  between  the  tracks 
of  the  Union  and  Central  Pacific  Railways. 

Here  Lawrence  suggests  that  Erma  send  a  telegram  to 
Mrs.  Livingston,  and  dissipate  any  fears  her  chaperon 
may  have  for  her  safety.  So,  going  into  the  telegraph 
office,  she  hastily  writes  the  following  : 

"  To  MRS.  LIVINGSTON, 

"  On  train  bound  for  Salt  Lake  City  : 

"  Detained  by  Ferdie.  We  are  both  well,  and  will  follow  on  first 
train  in  the  morning.  Please  tell  papa, — who  will  meet  you  at  the 
depot. 

"  ERMA  TRAVENION." 

This  being  despatched,  she  comes  out  and  stands  by 
Lawrence,  and  watches  the  Central  Pacific  train,  with 
its  yellow  silver  palace  sleeping  cars,  that  is  just  about  to 
run  for  the  West  and  California,  and  laughs  :  "  In  two 
weeks  I  will  be  once  more  on  my  way  to  the  Golden 
Land." 

"  So  soon  !  "  says  the  young  man,  a  sigh  in  his  voice. 

"  Oh,"  says  the  girl,  airily  ;  "  by  that  time  I  shall  have 


94  MISS    DIVIDENDS. 

seen  papa,  and  we  have  to  do  California  and  get  back 
to  New  York  for  the  first  Patriarch's  Ball."  Then  she 
babbles,  "  Oh,  the  delights  of  New  York  society.  You 
must  come  on  next  winter  and  see  how  gay  our  city  is, 
Captain  Lawrence,  to  a  young  lady  who — who  isn't 
always  a  wall  flower." 

"  That  I  will,"  answers  Harry,  heartily.  A  moment 
after,  he  goes  on  more  considerately,  "  If  I  can  arrange 
my  mining  business," — this  last  by  no  means  so  confi- 
dently spoken. 

As  he  says  this,  the  train  dashes  off  on  its  way  to  the 
Pacific,  and  Ferdie  coming  out  of  the  hotel,  where  he 
has  been  generally  put  in  order,  the  three,  accompanied 
by  the  maid,  go  in  to  dinner.  The  mentor  of  the  party 
registers  their  names,  and  tells  the  proprietor,  who  seems 
to  know  him  very  well,  to  give  Miss  Travenion  the  best 
rooms  in  the  house. 

At  this,  the  young  lady  says,  "  Excuse  me  for  a  few 
minutes.  I  have  clothes  with  me  now."  And  despite 
Lawrence's  laughing  protestations  that  no  change  can  be 
for  the  better,  she  runs  upstairs,  and  a  few  minutes 
after  returns,  having  got  the' dust  of  travel  from  her  in 
some  marvellous  way,  and  appearing  in  a  new  toilet — 
one  of  those  half  dress,  half  every  day  affairs,  something 
with  lace  on  it  and  ribbons,  which  makes  her  beauty 
fresh  as  that  of  a  new-blown  rosebud. 

Their  dinner  is  a  merry  meal  ;  Miss  Travenion  coming 
out  afterwards  on  the  platform,  and  watching  outgoing 
freight  trains  and  switching  locomotives,  as  the  two  gentle- 
men smoke.  Then  the  moon  comes  up  over  the  giant 
mountains  that  wall  in  this  Ogden  Valley,  save  where  it 
opens  on  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  and  shadows  fall  on  the 
distant  gorges  and  canons.  Illumined  by  the  soft  light, 
the  girl  looks  radiantly  lovely  and  piquantly  happy,  for 
somehow  this  evening  seems  to  her  a  pleasant  one. 

After  a  little,  Mr.  Chauncey  wanders  away,  perhaps  in 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  95 

search  of  further  frontier  adventure,  though  Lawrence 
notes  that  he  sticks  very  close  to  the  main  hotel,  and 
does  not  investigate  outlying  barrooms.  Then  Erma 
and  Harry  being  alone,  the  young  man's  talk  grows 
confidential,  and  he  tells  the  girl  a  good  deal  of  his  min- 
ing business,  which  seems  to  be  upon  his  mind.  How 
he  had  expected  to  sell  his  claim  to  an  English  company, 
but  now  fears  that  he  shall  not,  on  account  of  the  ac- 
cursed Mormons — this  last  under  his  breath,  for  nearly 
every  one  in  the  community  they  are  now  in  are  mem- 
bers of  that  church. 

On  being  questioned,  he  goes  on  to  explain  that  a 
claim  has  been  made  to  a  portion  of  his  mine  by  a 
Mormon  company,  remarking  that  he  has  bad  news 
from  Salt  Lake  City  that  day.  He  has  learned  that  a 
Mormon  of  great  influence,  called  Tranyon,  has  pur- 
chased nearly  all  the  other  interests  in  Zion's  Co-oper- 
ative Mining  Institution,  which  has  brought  suit  for  a 
portion  of  his  property. 

"  How  will  that  affect  you  ?  "  queries  Erma,  who  ap- 
parently has  grown  anxious  for  her  mentor's  specula- 
tion. 

"  Why,  this  Tranyon  is  a  man  of  wonderful  sagacity, 
— more,  I  think,  than  any  other  business  Mormon  in  this 
country.  He  made  nearly  as  much  grading  the  Union 
Pacific  Railway  as  Brigham  Young  himself.  He  has 
blocks  of  stock  in  the  road  upon  which  we  will  travel 
to-morrow  morning  to  Salt  Lake  City.  I  have  now 
money,  brains  and  a  Mormon  jury  against  me  !  "  says 
Lawrence,  with  a  sigh. 

He  would  perhaps  continue  this  subject,  did  not  Fer- 
die  come  excitedly  to  them,  his  eyes  big  with  wonder, 
and  whisper  :  "  Kruger  is  in  the  hotel.  Buck  Powers 
and  I  have  been  investigating  your  father's  friend,  Erma, 
and  have  discovered  that  he  is  a  full-fledged  Mormon 
bishop." 


96  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

"  A  Mormon !  Impossible,"  says  the  young  lady, 
with  a  start. 

"  Your  father's  friend  ?  "  exclaims  Lawrence. 

"  Certainly,"  replies  Miss  Travenion.  "  I  met  him 
with  my  father  several  times  in  New  York." 

To  this  the  Western  man  does  not  answer,  but  a  shade 
passes  over  his  brow  and  he  grows  thoughtful. 

Then  Ferdie,  who  is  very  full  of  his  news,  says : 
"  There's  no  doubt  of  it.  I  talked  with  the  man  who 
keeps  the  bar,  and  he  said  Lot  Kruger  was  as  good  a 
Mormon  as  any  man  in  Salt  Lake  Valley,  and  I  asked 
him  if  he  didn't  think  we  could  arrest  Kruger,  and  he 
cursed  me  and  said  he'll  blow  my  infernal  Gentile  head 
off." 

Here  Harry  interrupts  the  boy  sternly  :  "  Don't  you 
know  that  the  man  in  the  hotel  and  nearly  every  one 
else  about  here  are  Mormons  ?  If  you  make  many  more 
remarks  of  that  kind,  you'll  never  see  New  York  again." 

This  advice  puts  Mr.  Chauncey  in  a  brown  study,  and 
he  wanders  away  whistling,  while  Lawrence  turns  to 
Miss  Travenion  and  asks  her  with  a  serious  tone  in  his 
voice  :  "  You  are  sure  this  man  Kruger  is  interested  with 
your  father  in  business  ?  " 

"  I  am  certain,"  falters  the  girl.  "  In  some  way.  I 
don't  know  how  much." 

"  I  am  very  sorry  for  that  !  " 

"  Sorry  for  it  ?  How  can  it  affect  my  father  ?  "  returns 
Miss  Travenion,  growing  haughty. 

"  That  I  can't  see  myself,"  rejoins  her  escort,  and  the 
two  both  go  into  contemplation. 

A  minute  after  the  girl  smiles  and  says,  "Why,  in 
another  minute,  perhaps  you  will  think  I  am  Miss  Mor- 
mon myself."  This  seeming  to  her  a  great  joke,  she 
laughs  very  heartily. 

But  her  laugh  would  be  a  yellow  one,  did  she  know 
that  Lot  Kruger,  bishop  in  the  Mormon  Church,  high  up 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  97 

in  the  Seventies,  Councilor  of  the  Prophet,  Brigham 
Young  ;  and  ex-Danite  and  Destroying  Angel  to  boot, 
has  stayed  in  Ogden  on  her  account,  and  has  just  sent  a 
telegram  to  one  who  holds  the  Latter-Day  Saints  in  his 
hand,  which  reads  : 

"OGDEN,  October  4,  1871. 

"She  is  here.  I  am  watching  her.  She  will  arrive  in  Salt  Lake 
on  the  morning  train.  See  my  letter  from  Chicago,  due  to-night." 

Not  knowing  this,  the  girl's  laughter  is  light  and 
happy,  and  seems  to  be  infectious,  for  Lawrence  joins  in 
it,  and  their  conversation  grows  low,  as  if  they  would 
keep  it  to  themselves,  and  perhaps  slightly  romantic, 
for  there  is  a  fire  in  the  young  man's  dark  eyes  that 
seems  to  be  reflected  in  the  beautiful  blue  ones  of  Miss 
Travenion,  as  she  tells  him  of  life  in  New  York  society, 
and  about  Mrs.  Livingston  and  her  son.  This  discanta- 
tion  on  the  absent  Oliver  Lawrence  enjoys  so  little,  how- 
ever, that  he  turns  the  conversation  to  his  own  prospects 
once  more. 

On  which  the  girl  asks  him  if  his  mine  is  so  rich,  why 
does  he  not  work  it  himself. 

"  Because  I  am  tired  of  barbarism  !  "  he  cries.  "  I 
want  a  home  and  a  wife,  and  I  wouldn't  ask  any  woman 
to  share  a  mining  cabin  with  me." 

"  What  matters,"  says  Erma  airily, "  if  she  loved  you  ? " 

"  Do  you  mean  that  ?  "  remarks  Harry,  a  peculiar  ring 
coming  into  his  voice. 

"  Yes,"  says  the  girl,  rising  ;  "if  I  loved  a  man  I 
believe  I  could  give  up  for  him — even  New  York.  But 
it  is  growing  late.  You  tell  me  we  have  an  early  break- 
fast to-morrow  morning,  Captain  Lawrence  ?  " 

"Yes,  six  o'clock,"  he  says  shortly,  and  escorts  his 
charge  to  the  door  of  the  hotel,  where  her  maid  is  wait- 
ing for  her.  Here  she  nonchalantly  says,  "  Good-night. 
Thank  you  so  much  !  "  Then,  a  sudden  impulse  impell- 
7 


98  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

ing  her,  she  steps  to  the  man  who  is  just  turning  from 
her  and  whispers,  her  eyes  glowing  gratefully,  "  God  bless 
you  for  saving  Ferdie's  life  !  God  bless  you  for  being 
kind  to  me  !  " 

Next,  seemingly  frightened  at  herself,  she  runs  lightly 
up  the  stairs  to  her  bedroom,  where  she  goes  to  sleep  ; 
but  once  she  is  awakened  by  the  clanging  of  freight 
trains  in  the  night,  and  this  thought  comes  into  her 
head  :  "What  manner  of  man  is  this  who  two  days  ago 
was  a  stranger  to  me,  but  who  has  built  railroads  and  stain 
desperadoes  and  Indians  and  whom  I  think  about  waking 
and  sleeping  ?  "  Then  she  utters  a  little  affrighted  cry, 

"  WHY,  HE  HAS  EVEN  MADE  ME  FORGET  MY  FATHER  !  " 

The  gentleman  she  has  slighted  has  been  under  dis- 
cussion on  the  railroad  platform  below. 

Mr.  Chauncey  and  Lawrence,  strolling  out  before  going 
to  bed  to  take  a  preliminary  smoke,  the  Captain  suddenly 
asks,  between  puffs  of  his  cigar :  "  Miss  Travenion's 
father  was  quite  a  swell  in  New  York  ? " 

"  Was  ? — is  !  "  cries  Ferdie.  "  I  only  know  him  by 
sight,  but  I  inspected  him  once  or  twice  last  year  when 
he  was  in  town,  sitting  in  the  Unity  windows,  chewing  a 
cane,  and  following  with  his  eyes  any  likely  ankle  up  the 
Avenue.  In  fact,  he's  about  as  heavy  a  swell  now  as 
you'd  want  to  see,  though  they  say  when  he  lived  in 
New  York  permanently  he  used  to  be  heavier." 

"  Ah,"  replies  Harry,  taking  a  long  puff  at  his  Havana, 
"a  thorough  club  man  ?  " 

"I  should  think  so  !"  returns  Mr.  Chauncey.  "He  is 
an  out  and  outer.  There  are  some  curious  stories  extant 
that  would  make  your  hair  stand  on  end  about  Ralph 
Travenion  in  the  old  days.  They  say " 

But  Ferdie  stops  here  in  sudden  surprise,  for  Law- 
rence's hand  is  on  his  arm,  and  he  is  whispering  :  "  Don't 
tell  me  anything  that  would  make  me  think  less  of  her 
father  !  " 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  99 

"  Oh,  of  course  not,  if  you  don't  wish  it,"  replies  the 
boy.  Then  he  laughingly  says  :  "  You're  not  going  to 
judge  of  Miss  Beauty  up  there  by  her  paternal,  are  you, 
old  man  ?  That  would  be  rather  a  heavy  handicap."  A 
moment  later  he  goes  on,  the  other  not  replying  :  "  But 
she'd  stand  it.  She's  a  good  girl  ;  even  a  big  fortune 
and  the  adoration  of  Newport's  smart  set  couldn't  give 
her  airs.  She's  liable  to  marry  some  fellow  just  for 
love." 

"  You  think  so  ?  "  asks  Lawrence  with  a  hearty  voice. 

"  Certainly.  Did  you  notice  her  thanking  you  for 
saving  my  life  ? "  returns  the  boy.  "  Could  she  have 
shown  more  gratitude  if  you'd  been  an  English  duke  ? 
And  I  thank  you  for  it  also.  We  Harvard  men  are  not 
apt  to  gush,  my  boy  ;  but  we  feel  just  the  same.  If 
I  was  in  love  with  Erma  Travenion,  I'd  sooner  have 
what  you  did  to-day  to  my  credit  than  a  million  in 
bonds." 

"  Would  you  ! "  cries  the  captain.  "  Would  you  !  "  and 
his  clasp  is  so  cordial  as  he  shakes  Ferdie's  hand  on  bid- 
ding him  good-night  that  the  boy  goes  away  and  mutters, 
"  He's  got  a  grip  like  a  prize-fighter — but  hang  it,  I  sent 
him  to  bed  happy  for  saving  my  life — and  he  did  save  it. 
Good  Lord,  if  it  hadn't  been  for  him,  where  would  yours 
truly  have  been  now?  Oh  ginger  !  "  And  this  idea  mak- 
ing him  serious,  he  goes  to  bed  and  sleeps,  a  thing  that 
Harry  finds  more  difficult. 

The  next  morning  there  is  a  very  happy  smile  on  Miss 
Travenion's  face  as  she  trips  down  to  her  breakfast, 
where  she  is  met  by  Captain  Lawrence  and  Ferdie,  and 
the  three  shortly  after  go  to  the  Utah  Central  and  take 
train  there  for  Salt  Lake,  and  after  running  through 
prosperous  Mormon  villages  and  outlying  farms  for 
about  an  hour  and  a  half,  Erma  suddenly  cries,  "  What  is 
that  great  turtle  rising  out  of  the  trees  ? " 

To   this  Lawrence   answers,   "  The    Mormon    Taber- 


100  MISS    DIVIDENDS. 

nacle  !  "  and  a  few  minutes  after  they  run  into  the  "  City 
of  the  Saints,"  where  certain  things  shall  come  to  Erma 
Travenion  such  as  this  young  lady  of  New  York  society 
wots  not  are  in  the  heavens  above  the  earth,  nor  in  the 
waters  that  are  beneath  it. 


BOOK    II. 
A    CURIOUS    CLUB    MAN. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

THE    CITY    OF    SAINTS. 

HERE  they  are  met  by  Mr.  Oliver  Livingston,  who  has 
a  carriage  in  waiting.  To  his  anxious  questioning  as  to 
how  they  had  missed  the  train,  and  had  fared  during  the 
night  in  Ogden,  Miss  Travenion  says  shortly,  "  First  my 
father  ;  is  he  not  here  with  you  ? "  and  looks  about  the 
depot  with  scrutinizing  eyes.  A  moment  after  she  con- 
tinues hurriedly,  "  Your  mother  received  my  telegram  ? " 

"  Yes,"  remarks  Ollie.  "  It  arrived  just  in  time  to 
save  mamma  from  a  fainting  fit." 

"  And  you  did  not  communicate  it  to  my  father  ? " 

"  No,"  returns  Mr.  Livingston  ;  "  that  was  impossi- 
ble. He  was  not  at  the  station  here.  At  all  events, 
I  did  not  see  him,  as  I  would  undoubtedly  have,  if  he 
had  been  waiting  for  you." 

"  Then  he  cannot  have  been  in  town,"  cries  Erma, 
her  pretty  lips  pouting  with  disappointment,  for  Mr. 
Livingston  is  very  well  acquainted  with  Mr.  Travenion 
by  sight,  having  seen  that  gentleman  on  some  of  his 
visits  to  New  York. 

While  this  colloquy  has  been  going  on,  Ferdie  and 
Harry  have  been  conversing  apart.  Miss  Travenion 
now  turns  to  them,  and  seeing  that  Ollie  does  not  recog- 


102  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

nize  her  protector  of  the  night  before,  says,  rapidly,  but 
earnestly,  "  Mr.  Livingston,  you  must  remember  Cap- 
tain Lawrence  on  the  train.  He  was  very  kind  to  me 
last  night  and  took  good  care  of  me.  You  should  thank 
him  also." 

The  latter  part  of  this  speech  has  been  made  in  some 
embarrassment,  for  the  young  men  are  looking  at  each 
other  with  by  no  means  kindly  eyes.  Its  last  sen- 
tence makes  them  enemies,  for  Livingston,  who  had 
already  been  slightly  jealous  of  the  attentions  of  the 
Westerner  to  the  young  lady  he  regards  even  now  as  his 
fiancee,  becomes  very  jealous,  and  Lawrence,  who  has 
somehow  formed  the  shrewd  idea  that  there  is  some 
connection  between  Miss  Travenion  and  the  son  of  her 
chaperon,  interprets  the  "You  should  thank  him  also," 
for  indication  of  engagement  and  future  marriage 
between  the  pair,  and  from  this  moment  takes  that  kind 
of  a  liking  to  Mr.  Livingston  a  man  generally  has  for  a 
rival  who  is  more  blessed  by  circumstance  and  position 
in  matters  pertaining  to  his  suit— which  generally  means 
envious  hate. 

Being  compelled  to  social  truce,  at  least  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  young  lady,  the  two  men  are  obliged  to 
recognize  each  other  and  acknowledge  the  re-introduc- 
tion. This  Livingston  does  by  a  rather  snarly  "  How 
are  yer  ? "  and  Lawrence  by  a  nod  of  indifference. 

Then  Miss  Travenion  gives  an  additional  pang  to  Mr. 
Livingston,  for  she  says :  "  Captain,  another  request. 
You  know  Salt  Lake  very  well  ?  You  are  acquainted 
with  some  of  the  journals? " 

"One  only,"  remarks  Harry.  "The  Salt  Lake  Tri- 
bune,— the  Gentile  newspaper." 

"  Then  you  can  do  me  a  favor,"  returns  Erma.  "  My 
father  apparently  has  not  received  my  telegram.  Would 
you  take  care  that  a  notice  of  my  arrival  is  inserted 
prominently  in  that  paper,  so  that  if  papa  is  in  town,  he 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  103 

will  see  it ;  if  in  any  of  the  mining  camps  or  settlements 
about  here,  it  may  reach  his  eye.  The  sooner  I  behold 
him,  the  happier  I  shall  be." 

"  Any  request  from  you  will  be  a  command  to  me," 
says  Lawrence,  eagerly.  "  The  announcement  shall  be 
made  in  the  Tribune,  but  it  cannot  be  until  to-morrow 
morning.  If  I  can  aid  you  in  any  other  way,  please  do 
not  fail  to  call  upon  me."  To  this  he  adds  hurriedly  : 
"  I  shall  leave  town  early  this  afternoon  for  Tintic  Min- 
ing District,  but  shall  return  in  three  days." 

"  Very  well,"  answers  the  young  lady.  "  Do  not  forget 
that  we  stop  at  the  Townsend  House,  where  I  shall 
always  be  most  happy  to  see  you."  She  emphasizes  her 
invitation  by  so  cordial  a  grasp  of  the  hand,  and  Harry 
returns  it  so  heartily,  that  Mr.  Oliver  Livingston  pulls 
down  his  immaculate  shirt-cuffs  in  anguish  and  rage. 

This  is  not  decreased  by  Ferdie's  admiring  remark  : 
"  Ain't  the  Cap  a  high  stepper  !  "  as  the  party  step  into 
the  carriage  and  drive  away. 

They  are  soon  at  the  corner  of  West  Temple  and 
South  Second  Streets,  and  find  themselves  in  front  of  a 
rather  rambling  two-story  house  with  an  attic  attachment, 
at  this  time  the  principal  hotel  in  Salt  Lake  City,  for  in 
1871  the  Walker  House  is  not  yet  built.  It  has  a 
generally  yellow  appearance,  though  its  windows  are 
protected  from  the  sun  by  green  Venetian  blinds. 

Alighting  here,  Miss  Travenion  is  informed  that  Mrs. 
Livingston  is  not  yet  up,  and  going  to  her  room,  lies 
down,  it  being  still  quite  early  in  the  day,  while  her 
maid  unpacks  her  trunks  and  arranges  her  dresses. 
Though  fatigued  by  her  long  railroad  trip,  sleep  does 
not  come  to  Erma,  for  thoughts  of  her  father  are  upon 
her  ;  and  after  a  little,  growing  anxious  on  this  subject, 
she  springs  up,  and  says  :  "  I'll  look  for  him  !  " 

So,  making  a  hasty  but  effective  toilet,  robed  in  a 
dainty  summer  dress,  the  girl  stepping  to  the  window, 


I04  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

looks  out  and  cries  :  "  How  pretty  !  "  for  she  is  gazing 
upon  Salt  Lake  City  on  an  October  day,  which  is  as 
beautiful  as  any  day  can  be,  save  a  May  day,  when 
there  is  a  little  less  dust  on  the  streets  and  a  little  more 
water  in  the  rivulets  that  course  through  them. 

All  round  her  are  houses  embowered  in  green  foliage, 
and  broad  streets,  also  planted  with  trees,  and  streams 
of  living  water,  fresh  from  the  melting  snows  of  the 
Wahsatch,  coursing  by  their  sidewalks  where  gutters 
would  be  in  ordinary  towns. 

In  these  streets  there  is  a  curious,  heterogeneous  life, 
the  like  of  which  she  has  never  seen  before.  Immedi- 
ately below  her,  in  front  of  the  hotel,  men  of  many  climes 
lounge  about  the  unpaved  sidewalk,  most  of  them  seated, 
their  feet  against  the  trees  that  line  its  side,  each  man 
smoking  a  cigar,  the  aromas  of  which,  as  they  float  up 
to  her,  seem  to  be  pleasant. 

Most  of  these  are  mining  speculators  from  California, 
the  East,  and  Europe  ;  as  their  voices  rise  to  her,  she 
catches  tones  similar  to  those  she  has  heard  in  Delmon- 
ico's  from  travelling  Englishmen.  For  the  Emma  mine 
is  in  its  glory ;  and  much  British  capital  has  floated  into 
this  Territory,  to  be  invested  in  the  silver  leads  of  the 
great  mountains  that  cut  off  her  view  to  the  east,  and  the 
low  ranges  that  she  can  see  to  the  south  and  west  ;  a 
good  deal  of  it  never  to  return  to  London  again  ;  for, 
of  all  the  speculators  of  many  nations  who  have  invested 
in  American  securities,  stocks,  bonds,  mining  properties 
and  beer  interests,  none  have  so  rashly  and  so  lavishly 
squandered  their  money  as  the  speculators  of  merry 
England.  These  have  sometimes  been  allured  to  finan- 
cial discomfort  by  Yankee  shrewdness,  but  more  often 
have  been  betrayed  by  the  ignorance  or  carelessness  or 
rascality  of  those  whom  they  have  sent  from  their 
native  isle  to  represent  them,  who  have  judged  America, 
Western  mines  and  Yankee  business  methods  by  Eng- 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  10$ 

land,  Cornish  lodes  and  the  financial  conditions  that 
prevail  in  Thread-Needle  Street. 

Two  or  three  hacks  and  carriages,  such  as  are  seen  in 
the  East,  stand  in  front  of  the  hotel,  while  in  the  street 
before  her  move  some  big  mule  teams,  laden  with  bars 
of  lead  and  silver,  from  some  smelter  on  the  Jordan,  and 
a  little  further  on  is  a  wagon  of  the  prairies,  covered 
with  the  mud  and  dust  of  long  travel,  driven  by  some 
Mormon  who  has  come  up  from  the  far  southern  settle- 
ments of  Manti,  or  Parowan,  or  the  pretty  oasis  towns 
of  Payson  or  Spanish  Fork  or  some  other  garden  spot  by 
the  side  of  the  fresh  waters  of  Utah  Lake,  to  go  through 
the  rites  of  the  Endowment  House,  and  take  unto  himself 
another  wife  ;  paying  well  for  the  ceremonies  in  farm 
produce. 

Looking  over  this  scene,  the  girl  murmurs,  "  How 
peaceful — how  beautiful !  "  and  next,  "  How  wonder- 
ful," and  a  moment  after,  gazing  at  the  great  Mormon 
Tabernacle,  she  mutters,  "  How  awful !  "  for  in  the  two 
hours  passed  upon  the  train  coming  from  Ogden  to 
Salt  Lake,  Harry  Lawrence  has  told  her,  as  delicately  as 
a  young  man  can  tell  a  maiden,  of  this  peculiar  city  into 
which  she  has  just  come,  and  she  knows  quite  well  the 
peculiar  creed  of  the  Church  of  Latter-Day  Saints, 

She  has  learnt  how  this  sect,  founded  upon  the  so- 
called  revelation  from  the  Almighty,  made  to  Joseph 
Smith,  and  Hyrum,  his  brother,  in  about  1847,  driven  out 
from  Illinois  and  afterwards  from  Missouri,  had  left  civil- 
ization behind  them,  and  passing  over  a  thousand  of 
miles  of  prairie  and  mountain,  inhabited  only  by  savage 
Indians  and  trappers  and  hunters,  had  come  by  ox-teams, 
on  horseback,  by  hand  carts  and  on  foot,  enduring  for 
long  months  all  the  privations  and  dangers  of  the  wilder- 
ness, to  this  far-off  valley  to  build  a  Mormon  empire. 
For  that  is  surely  what  their  leaders  had  hoped. 

The  civilization  of  the  East  seemed  to  them  so  far  off 


106  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

a  hundred  years  might  not  bring  it  to  them,  across  those 
boundless  rolling  prairies  and  that  five  hundred  miles  of 
mountain  country.  To  the  West  were  more  deserts,  and 
beyond  a  land  scarcely  known  at  that  time,  and  inhabited 
only  by  Indians,  save  where  some  Mexican  mission  stood 
surrounded  by  its  little  orchard  and  vineyard,  in  that 
land  that  is  now  called  California. 

In  this  hope  of  empire,  the  Mormon  leaders  had  built 
up  polygamy,  which,  having  been  begun  for  lust,  they  now 
preached,  continued,  and  fostered  to  produce  the  power 
that  numbers  give.  For  this  reason  the  order  had  been 
given,  "  Increase  and  multiply,  that  you  may  cover  the 
land,"  and  it  was  cried  out  from  pulpit  and  tabernacle 
"that  Utah's  best  crop  was  children  ;"  and  missionaries 
and  Mormon  propagandists  were  sent  out  over  both 
Europe  and  America  to  make  converts  to  the  new  re- 
ligion. So,  many  Scandinavians,  Welsh  and  English, 
were  taken  into  the  faith  and  came  to  live  in  the  Utah 
valleys,  and  thought  this  religion  of  Joseph  Smith  a  very 
good  one — for  they  were  chiefly  the  scum  of  Europe — 
and  now  had  land  to  cultivate  and  plenty  with  which  to 
fill  their  stomachs,  while  in  their  native  lands  they  had 
often  hungered. 

For  the  Mormon  hierarchy  hoped,  in  the  distant  future, 
when  the  civilization  from  the  Eastern  States  had  reached 
them,  to  be  increased  by  immigration  and  multiplication 
from  thousands  into  millions  ;  and  peopling  the  whole 
land,  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Pacific,  to  be 
strong  enough  to  dominate  Mexico  if  she  dared  complain 
of  their  occupation  of  North  California,  and  even  to 
give  battle  to  these  United  States  of  America. 

And  to  the  eyes  of  Brigham  and  his  satellites  came 
the  dream  of  a  Mormon  empire,  holding  dominion  over 
the  Pacific,  ruled  over  by  the  Priesthood  of  the  faith  of 
Joseph  Smith  and  the  Council  of  Seventies,  and  above 
them  the  President  and  Vice-President,  descendants  of 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  107 

Brigham  Young  and  Heber  Kimball  and  others  high  in 
rank  and  power  in  the  theocracy  of  the  so-called  Latter- 
Day  Saints. 

All  of  these  plans  might  have  borne  fruit  and 
have  been  realized  had  it  not  been  that  one  day  in 
1848  gold  was  discovered  near  Sutler's  Fort  in  California, 
and  the  rush  of  adventurers  to  the  western  El  Dorado 
peopled  its  fertile  valleys  and  mineral-bearing  mountains 
and  great  grain-raising  plains  with  a  population  who 
worshipped  Jehovah  and  not  Joe  Smith.  Then  the  Mexi- 
can war  having  given  Arizona  and  Texas  and  the  Pacific 
States  to  the  United  States,  Brigham  Young  and  his  emi- 
grants found  themselves  surrounded  and  cut  off  in  and 
about  the  valley  of  Salt  Lake.  But  still  they  continued 
to  increase  and  multiply  and  make  the  desert  about  them 
fertile  and  populated,  still  hoping  to  be  strong  enough 
to  resist  foreign  domination,  for  they  regarded  the 
United  States  as  such,  and  treated  its  laws,  if  not  as  null 
and  void,  at  least  as  secondary  to  the  commands  of  their 
prophet  and  priesthood,  until  one  day  in  1862  Pat  Con- 
ner and  his  California  Volunteers  marched  in  from  the 
Humboldt,  and  crossing  the  Jordan,  despite  the  threats 
of  the  Mormon  leaders,  set  up  the  United  States  flag  at 
Camp  Douglas. 

Then  Mormon  hopes,  from  that  of  independent  em- 
pire, fell  to  the  wish  to  be  simply  left  alone,  to  do  as 
they  pleased  in  their  own  country,  as  they  termed  it,  and 
to  follow  out  the  revelations  of  their  prophets,  taking 
unto  themselves  as  many  wives  as  they  chose,  unhin- 
dered oy  the  United  States  laws. 

But  in  1869,  when  the  Central  and  Union  Pacific 
Railways  were  opened,  bringing  in  a  horde  of  Gentiles 
from  all  the  corners  of  the  world  to  delve  in  their  moun- 
tains for  gold,  silver  and  lead,  then  the  struggle  of  the 
Mormon  theocracy  became  one  not  for  power,  but  even 
for  existence. 


I08  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

It  is  just  in  this  state  as  Erma  gazes  at  its  me- 
tropolis. 

This  last  great  fight  of  the  Mormon  Church  is  being 
made  without  the  sacrifice  and  the  cutting  off  from  the 
face  of  the  earth  of  their  enemies,  for  though  the  prophets 
of  Zion  would  preach  "  blood  atonement "  to  their  follow- 
ers with  as  much  gusto  in  1871  as  they  did  twenty  years 
before,  when  they  cut  off  the  Morrisites,  root  and  branch, 
or  in  1857,  when,  headed  by  John  D.  Lee,  they  massacred 
one  hundred  and  thirty-three  emigrants,  men,  women  and 
children,  or  in  1866,  when  they  assassinated  Dr.  Robinson, 
luring  him  from  his  own  door  on  a  professional  errand 
of  mercy  to  a  wounded  man,  as  well  as  many  other  mur- 
ders, "  cuttings  off  behind  the  ears  "  and  "  usings  up," 
done  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  and  in  pursuit  of  mammon, 
lust  and  power,  at  such  various  times  and  places  as 
seemed  good,  safe  and  convenient  to  the  Apostles  ; 
still,  even  before  1871  the  rush  of  Gentile  immigration 
and  the  United  States  troops  at  Camp  Douglas  had 
taught  them  caution  in  their  slaughterings. 

Most  of  this  has  been  explained  to  Miss  Travenion  by 
her  escort  and  mentor  of  the  morning,  but  he  has  not 
descanted  very  minutely  upon  Celestial  Marriage,  which 
permits  a  man  to  take  wives  not  only  for  this  world,  but 
also  to  have  any  number  of  others  sealed  to  him  for 
eternity  ;  the  doctrine  that  woman  takes  her  rank  in 
Heaven  according  to  the  station  and  glory  of  her  hus- 
band. That  under  these  theories,  men  have  often  taken 
two  sisters  to  wife,  and  sometimes  even  mother  and 
daughter.  That  a  great  part  of  the  theory,  as  also  the 
practice,  of  the  Saints  of  Latter  Days,  is  founded  upon  the 
social  degradation  of  woman.  All  these  things  she  does 
not  know,  though  she  will  perchance  some  day  learn 
more  fully  concerning  them. 

But  the  day  is  too  sunny  and  bright  for  meditation, 
and  the  soft  breeze  from  the  Wahsatch  incites  Erma  to 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  log 

action.  Just  then  there  is  a  light  feminine  knock  on 
her  door,  and  Louise's  voice  cries  merrily  :  "  Hurry, 
Erma  ;  mamma  is  down-stairs  at  breakfast  and  wants  to 
see  you.  She  has  so  many  questions  to  ask.  Ferdie  has 
just  told  her  about  his  being  saved  from  death  by  Cap- 
tain Lawrence,  and  is  singing  his  praises." 

Being  perhaps  anxious  to  sing  the  young  Western 
man's  praises  herself,  Miss  Travenion,  with  a  happy 
laugh,  trips  out  and  kisses  Louise,  and  the  two  girls 
run  down  to  the  dining-room,  where  they  find  Mrs. 
Livingston  still  pale  and  palpitating  over  Ferdie's  escape, 
though  apparently  with  a  very  good  appetite,  notwith- 
standing Mr.  Chauncey  has  made  his  narrative  very 
highly  colored,  stating  that  he  had  knocked  the  desperado 
down  and  would  have  done  him  up  if  it  had  not  been  for 
his  bowie-knife. 

"  All  the  same,"  he  adds,  just  as  Erma  seats  herself  at 
the  table,  "  that  Lawrence  is  a  regular  thoroughbred — 
a  Western  hero,  and  saved  my  life  in  that  barroom. " 

"  I  should  think  you  would  be  ashamed  of  yourself," 
says  Mr.  Livingston,  airily,  during  pauses  in  his  break- 
fast, "  to  admit  associating  with  barroom  loafers  !  " 

"  Barroom  loafers  ? "  cries  Erma.  "  Whom  do  you 
mean  ?  "  and  she  looks  at  Ollie  in  so  resolute  and  defiant 
a  manner  that  he  hesitates  to  take  up  the  cudgels  with 
her. 

Therefore  he  mutters  rather  sulkily,  "  Oh,  if  you 
are  going  to  make  this  Lawrence  your  hero  I  have 
nothing  more  to  say,"  and  glumly  pitches  into  the  beef- 
steak that  is  in  front  of  him ;  but,  all  the  same,  hates 
Harry  a  little  more  than  he  has  ever  done. 

Anxious  to  put  an  end  to  a  discussion  which  does  her 
son  no  good  in  the  eyes  of  the  young  lady  she  regards 
as  his  fiancee,  Mrs.  Livingston  proposes  a  sight-seeing 
drive  about  the  city. 

"  You  will  come  with  us,  Erma  ?  "  she  adds. 


110  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

"  With  pleasure,"  answers  the  girl.  "  Perhaps  on  the 
main  street  I  may  see  papa." 

"  By  Jove,  "laughs  Ferdie.  "You're  always  thinking 
of  papa  now.  But  you  forgot  him  a  little — last  night 
at  Ogden,  eh  ?" 

To  this  insinuation  Erma  answers  nothing,  but  rises 
from  the  table  with  a  heightened  color  on  her  cheeks. 

Noticing  this,  Mrs.  Livingston  thinks  it  just  as  well 
that  her  protigte  sees  no  more  of  the  Western  mining 
man,  and  is  rather  relieved  when  Mr.  Chauncey  in- 
forms her  Captain  Lawrence  has  departed  for  Tintic, 
and  will  not  return  for  several  days. 

Then  they  take  a  long  drive  about  the  city,  the  hack- 
man  condescendingly  acting  as  cicerone  to  the  party,  and 
pointing  out  the  Tabernacle  and  the  proposed  Temple, 
the  foundations  of  which  have  just  been  laid,  and  the 
Endowment  House  and  the  Tithing  Office,  and  the 
Beehive  and  Lion  House,  in  which  Brigham  Young,  the 
president  of  the  Latter-Day  Saints,  keeps  the  major 
portion  of  his  harem  ;  though  he  has  houses  and  wives 
almost  all  over  the  Territory. 

Next,  coming  down  from  Eagle  Gate,  they  pass  the 
Mormon  theatre  with  its  peculiar  classic  front  made 
up  of  two  different  kinds  of  Greek  architecture,  and  so 
on  to  East  Temple  Street,  by  Godby's  drug  store,  and 
the  great  block  of  Zion's  Mercantile  Co-operative  In- 
stitution, till  they  come  to  Warden  Bussey's  Bank,  upon 
which  Erma  and  Mr.  Livingston  have  letters  of  credit. 

So  they  enter  here,  draw  some  money,  and  are  kindly 
received  by  Mr.  Bussey  himself,  their  letters  from  the 
East  bringing  them  favor  in  this  Gentile  banker's  eyes, 
who  has  just  made  a  large  fortune  by  speculating  in 
Emma  stock.  He  shows  them  over  the  new  banking- 
house  he  has  just  erected,  and  tells  them  he  is  going  to 
open  it  with  a  grand  ball,  and  hopes  they  will  come  to 
the  same ;  remarking  that  Mrs.  Bussey  will  call  upon 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  Ill 

them  and  do  all  she  can  for  their  entertainment  dur- 
ing their  stay  in  this  Western  city. 

Then  they  return  to  the  Townsend  House,  but  dur- 
ing all  this  drive,  though  Erma  Travenion's  eyes,  which 
are  quite  far-sighted,  have  searched  the  passing  crowd 
of  speculators,  Mormons  and  Western  business  men, 
seeking  for  one  form  and  one  face — her  father's — she 
has  not  seen  it.  As  the  afternoon  passes  she  becomes 
more  impatient,  and  says,  "  I  have  lost  a  day  in  which 
his  dear  face  might  have  been  beside  me." 

Then  an  idea  coming  to  her,  she  mutters :  "  Why  did 
I  not  think  of  it  before  ?  I  will  go  where  I  address  my 
father's  letters  ;  there  they  will  know  where  he  is."  And 
calling  a  hack,  says  to  the  driver,  "  The  Deseret  Co- 
operative Bank  !  " 

Arriving  there,  shortly  before  the  hour  of  closing, 
three  o'clock,  she  hurriedly  asks  the  paying-teller  if  he 
can  tell  her  the  address  of  Mr.  Ralph  Travenion. 

To  her  astonishment,  the  man  answers  quite  politely 
that  he  does  not  know  the  individual. 

"  Why,  I  have  directed  a  hundred  letters  to  him  here," 
she  says  hurriedly,  surprise  in  her  voice,  and  a  moment 
after  asks  :  "  Can  I  see  the  cashier  or  the  president  ?  " 

"  Certainly.    The  president  is  in." 

In  an  inner  office,  she  meets  the  head  of  the  bank, 
and  to  her  question  as  to  whether  he  knows  the  address 
of  Ralph  Travenion,  he  hesitates  a  moment — then 
answers  that  they  frequently  have  letters  addressed 
to  their  care,  though  they  do  not  always  keep  run  of 
the  parties  who  call  for  them. 

"  Very  well,"  replies  the  young  lady.  "  Would  you 
be  kind  enough  to  give  orders  to  this  effect,  that  in 
case  Mr.  Travenion  calls,  or  sends  for  his  letters,  that 
he  is  to  be  informed  that  Mr.  Travenion's  daughter 
is  at  present  at  the  Townsend  House  waiting  anxiously 
to  see  him  ?  " 


112  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

"  Ah,  you  are  Mr.  Travenion's  daughter,"  replies  the 
official,  as  he  shows  her  politely  to  the  door  and  puts 
her  in  her  carriage,  a  rather  curious  expression  coming 
over  his  face  as  he  gazes  after  the  beautiful  girl  as  she 
is  driven  away ;  for  this  bank  is  a  Mormon  one,  and  its 
president  is  well  up  in  the  Church  of  Zion,  and  knows 
a  good  deal  of  the  counsels  and  doings  of  its  leaders 
and  nearly  every  one  else  in  Salt  Lake  City. 

Then  the  evening  comes,  and  the  whole  party  go  to 
the  old  Salt  Lake  Theatre,  where  Mr.  Ollie's  dress-coat 
makes  a  great  sensation,  such  costume  not  being  usual 
in  the  Mormon  temple  of  Thespis  ;  this  gentleman's 
entrance  being  greeted  by  a  very  audible  buzz  from 
the  female  portion  of  the  audience. 

Here  they  see  the  arm-chair  that  is  placed  conspic- 
uously in  the  orchestra,  for  the  use  of  the  President 
of  the  Mormon  Church  ;  likewise,  a  third  of  the  dress 
circle,  which  is  his  family's  private  box.  This  portion 
of  the  auditorium  is  pretty  well  occupied  by  some  of 
his  wives  and  his  numerous  progeny,  as  well  as  a  number 
of  the  daughters  and  plural  help-mates  of  other  leaders 
and  prophets  of  Zion,  who  drop  in  upon  them  and  pass 
the  compliments  of  the  season  and  talk  of  the  crops  and 
Bishop  Jenkins's  last  wife. 

The  performance  on  the  stage  is  composed  of  a 
couple  of  light  comedies,  very  passably  given  by  a 
Mormon  stock  company,  several  of  them  being  mem- 
bers of  President  Young's  family,  one  or  two  of  whom 
have  since  emigrated  to  the  Gentile  stage  and  secured 
recognition  upon  the  boards  of  New  York  and  San 
Francisco. 

But  this  visit  to  the  theatre  is  not  altogether  an 
evening  of  delight  to  Erma  ;  to  her  astonishment,  Mr. 
Livingston  has  suddenly  changed  from  the  complacent, 
passive  suitor  of  former  times,  to  as  impetuous  a  lover 
as  such  a  man  can  make,  and  his  attentions  embarrass 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  113 

her.  This  Romeo  business  has  partly  been  brought 
about  by  Mr.  Ollie's  jealousy  and  partly  by  the  remarks 
of  his  diplomatic  mother. 

This  lady  has  had  an  interview  with  her  son,  caused 
chiefly  by  Miss  Travenion's  adventures  in  Ogden,  and 
has  given  her  offspring  the  following  advice  :  "  If  you 
do  not  settle  your  marriage  with  Erma  during  this  trip, 
she  will  probably  marry  somebody  else." 

"  Impossible  !  She  is  as  good  as  engaged  to  me," 
cries  out  Ollie,  hotly. 

"  Engaged  !  Why  ?  Because  her  father  and  your 
father  came  to  some  understanding  when  you  were 
children  ?" 

"  Because  Mr.  Travenion  has  settled  a  million  dollars 
on  his  daughter  !  Why  did  he  put  that  big  sum  apart 
for  her  sole  use  and  benefit  ?  He  wishes  his  daughter 
to  take  the  position  that  I  can  give  her  in  New 
York." 

"  Because  he  has  settled  a  million  dollars  on  her," 
answers  his  mother,  "  she  is  all  the  more  difficult  to 
win.  It  is  a  marvel  to  me  that  she,  the  belle  of  New 
York  last  season  and  of  Newport  this  summer,  has 
kept  herself  apart  from  entangling  alliances  with  other 
men.  Two  months  ago,  if  she  had  loved  that  young 
Polo  Blazer,  you  would  have  lost  her  then." 

"  You  don't  mean  to  say  she  loves  that  Vigilante — 
that  mining  fellow  ?  "  says  Oliver,  turning  pale  at  his 
mother's  suggestion. 

"  If  she  doesn't  love  him  she  will  love  some  man," 
returns  his  mother  grimly.  "  Don't  you  know  that  a 
girl  with  her  beauty  and  her  money  is  bound  to  be 
sought  after  and  will  be  won  by  somebody  ? " 

"  By  me  !  "  cries  Ollie  hotly.  "  Hang  me  if  she  shall 
marry  any  other  man  !  "  Then  he  says  plaintively,  "  I 
have  considered  her  my  own  for  a  year." 

"  Very  well,"  replies  Mrs.  Livingston  ;  "  you  had 
8 


114  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

better  act  as  if  you  did.  Miss  Travenion's  attitude  to 
you  has  been  one  of  indifference.  She  saw  no  one 
whom  she  liked  better.  Besides,  girls  enjoy  being 
made  love  to.  Perhaps  Captain  Lawrence  last  night 
in  Ogden  in  the  moonlight  was  more  of  a  Romeo  than 
you  have  been.  He  looks  as  if  he  might  be." 

"  Does  he  ?"  cries  Ollie.  "  I'll  show  him  that  I  can 
play  the  romantic  as  well  as  he,"  and  going  out,  he,  for 
the  first  time  in  his  life — for  he  is  a  good  young  man — 
says  to  himself,  "  Damn  !  "  and  then  becomes  fright- 
ened and  soliloquizes  :  "  Oh  gracious,  that  is  the  first 
time  I  ever  swore." 

So  going  to  the  theatre  and  coming  therefrom  he 
assists  Erma  into  the  carriage  with  squeezes  of  her 
hand  that  make  her  wince,  and  little  amatory  ogles  of 
the  eyes  that  make  her  blush* 

Coming  from  the  theatre,  they  go  to  "  Happy  Jack's," 
the  swell  restaurant  of  the  city  in  1871,  where  they 
have  a  very  pretty  little  room  prepared  for  them,  and 
trout  caught  fresh  in  a  mountain  stream  that  day,  and 
chickens  done  to  a  turn,  and  the  freshest  of  lettuce 
and  some  lovely  pears  and  grapes  from  Payson  gar- 
dens and  vineyards,  and  a  bottle  of  champagne  from 
sunny  France,  some  of  which  gets  into  Mr.  Ollie's  head 
and  makes  him  so  devoted  in  his  attentions  to  the 
young  lady  who  sits  beside  him,  that,  getting  a  chance, 
he  surreptitiously  squeezes  her  hand  under  the  table, 
which  makes  Erma  think  him  tipsy  with  wine,  not 
love. 

From  this  they  return  to  the  Townsend  House,  where 
the  party  separating,  Miss  Travenion  finds  herself  alone 
at  the  door  of  her  own  room  ;  but  just  before  she 
enters,  Mr.  Oliver  comes  along  the  hallway,  and  walk- 
ing up  to  her,  says,  with  eyes  that  have  grown  fiery  : 
"  Erma,  how  can  you  treat  me  so  coldly  when  I  love 
you  ? " 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  115 

"  Why,  when  did  that  love  idea  come  into  your  head  ?" 
returns  the  young  lady  with  a  jeering  laugh. 

Next  her  voice  grows  haughty,  and  she  says,  coldly, 
"  Stop  ! "  for  Ollie  is  about  to  put  his  arm  around 
her  fairy  waist.  A  second  after,  however,  she  laughs 
again  and  says  :  "  What  nonsense  !  Good-night,  Mr. 
Oliver,"  and  sweeps  past  him  into  her  room,  where, 
closing  the  door,  Miss  Changeable  suddenly  cries  :  "  If 
he  had  dared  !  "  then  mutters  :  "  A  few  days  ago  I 
looked  upon  his  suit  complacently  and  indifferently  ;  " 
next  pants  :  "  Now  what  is  the  matter  with  me  ?  What 
kind  of  a  railroad  journey  is  it  that  makes  a  girl —  " 
and,  checking  herself  here,  cries  :  "  Pshaw  !  what  non- 
sense !  "  and  so  goes  to  bed  in  the  City  of  the  Saints. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

THE    BALL    IN    SALT    LAKE. 

THE  next  morning  sleep  leaves  Erma,  driven  away  by 
the  singing  of  the  birds  in  the  trees  that  front  the  hotel. 
A  little  time  after,  church  bells  come  to  her  ears,  and 
she  is  astonished,  and  then  remembers  that  it  is  Sun- 
day, and  that  there  is  a  little  Episcopal  church  on  First 
South  Street  that  has  come  there  with  the  railroad,  and 
is  permitted  to  exist  because  United  States  troops  are 
at  Camp  Douglas,  just  in  the  shadow  of  the  mountains, 
over  which  the  sun  is  rising,  and  whose  snowtops  look 
very  cool  and  very  pleasant  here  in  the  warmer  valley, 
five  thousand  feet'below  them. 

Coming  down  stairs  to  a  nine  o'clock  breakfast,  she 
encounters  Ferdie  and  Louise  at  the  table,  for  Mrs. 
Livingston  and  Oliver  are  later  risers.  Over  the  meal, 
Mr.  Chauncey,  who  has  not  been  to  the  theatre  with 
them,  but  has  been  investigating  the  city,  points  out 


Il6  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

some  of  the  notables  who  are  seated  about  the  dining- 
room.  Then  he  begins  to  run  on  about  what  he  has 
seen  the  evening  before,  telling  them  he  has  joined 
the  Salt  Lake  Billiard  Club  and  paid  twenty-five  cents 
initiation  fee  to  register  his  name  as  a  member  of  the 
club,  in  order  to  wield  a  cue,  which  registry  is  kept  by 
pasting  a  few  sheets  of  paper  each  day  upon  a  roller, 
and  has  gradually  rolled  up  until  it  has  a  diameter  of 
five  feet,  and  contains  the  names  of  every  man  who 
has  ever  played  a  game  of  billiards  in  Salt  Lake  City 
from  the  time  Orson  Pratt  first  spied  out  the  valley  ; 
for  the  Mormon  authorities  have  refused  to  license  bill- 
iard tables,  and  a  club  was  the  only  way  in  which  they 
could  be  circumvented.  Next  the  boy  excitedly  tells 
them  that  he  has  been  introduced  to  a  Mormon  bishop 
in  a  barroom.  At  which  Miss  Livingston  laughs  :  "  He 
couldn't  have  been  much  of  a  bishop  to  have  been 
there." 

"  Wasn't  he  !  "  rejoins  Ferdie  indignantly.  "  He  has 
four  wives,  two  pairs  of  sisters." 

At  which  Louise  gives  an  affrighted,  "  Oh  !  "  and 
Miss  Travenion  says  sternly,  "  No  more  Mormon 
stories,  please,"  for  Mr.  Chauncey  is  about  to  run  on 
about  an  apostle  of  the  church  who  had  married  a 
mother  and  two  daughters. 

But  now  the  party  are  joined  by  Mrs.  Livingston 
and  Oliver,  and  shortly  after,  the  meal  being  finished, 
Mr.  Livingston  proposes  church. 

As  it  is  a  short  distance,  they  go  there  on  foot,  the 
widow  and  Louise  and  Ferdie  walking  ahead  and  Mr. 
Livingston  attaching  himself  to  Erma  and  bringing  up 
the  rear. 

As  they  walk  up  South  Second  Street  and  turn  into 
East  Temple,  Miss  Travenion,  who  has  been  listening 
to  Ollie's  conversation  in  a  musingly  indifferent  way, 
suddenly  brightens  up  and  says,  "  Excuse  me,  please," 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  117 

and  leaving  him  hastily,  crosses  the  wide  main  street. 
A  moment  after,  Livingston,  to  his  astonishment,  sees 
her  in  earnest  conversation  with  Mr.  Kruger. 

This  gentleman  has  turned  from  two  or  three  square- 
jawed,  full-lipped  Mormon  friends  of  his,  to  meet  her. 
A  complacent  smile  is  on  his  red  and  sunburnt  face, 
which  lights  up  with  a  peculiar  glance,  half-triumph, 
half  something  else,  as  the  girl,  radiant  in  her  beauty, 
addresses  him. 

"  Well,  Sissy,  I  am  right  glad  you  take  the  trouble  to 
run  over  and  see  me  this  morning,"  he  cries  genially, 
trying  to  take  her  patricianly  gloved  hand  in  his. 

"  Mr.  Kruger,"  she  says  shortly,  "  I  fear  the  tele- 
gram I  gave  you  did  not  reach  my  father.  Have  you 
heard  anything  of  him  ?  Do  you  know  where  he 
is?" 

"  Yes,"  replies  the  complaisant  Lot.  "  I  reckon  he 
is  in  one  of  the  outlying  mining  camps.  If  so,  he  won't 
be  here  for  a  day  or  two  yit,  though  he  has  been  com- 
municated with." 

"  Oh  !  "  ejaculates  the  girl  ;  "  then  I  shall  be  disap- 
pointed again  ? " 

"  Indeed  !  How  ?  "  says  the  man  rather  curiously, 
noting  that  the  lovely  blue  eyes  are  teary  as  they  look 
into  his. 

"  I  am  going  to  the  Episcopal  Church.  I  had  hoped 
to  meet  my  father  there." 

"  You  expect — to  meet  your  dad — thar  ? "  gasps  Kru- 
ger, as  if  the  girl's  information  took  away  his  breath. 

"  Yes,  certainly  !  My  father  has  been  an  Episco- 
palian all  his  life.  I  naturally  expect  to  meet  him  at 
the  Episcopal  Church." 

"  Oh — your — father — has — been — an  Episcopal — all 
his  life,"  echoes  Lot,  apparently  a  little  dazed.  Then 
he  goes  on  genially  :  "  Wa-all,  as  you  are  certain  of 
not  seeing  your  dad  among  the  Episcopals,  perhaps 


Il8  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

you'd  better  go  up  this  morning  to  our  great  Taber- 
nacle, where  President  Young  will  make  an  address 
that'll  learn  you  somethin'."  He  apparently  now  has 
no  wish  to  conceal  that  he  is  a  Latter-Day  Saint. 

"Thank  you,"  replies  the  girl,  with  a  little  mocking 
smile.  "  I  am  an  Episcopalian  as  well  as  my  father," 
and  she  rejoins  the  wondering  Ollie,  who  has  by  this 
time  crossed  the  street  ;  as  she  moves  away  with  her 
escort,  she  thinks  she  hears  a  low  chuckle  from  the 
genial  Kruger. 

Horror  and  rage  would  enter  her,  however,  did  she 
catch  the  remark  of  one  of  his  companions  :  "  Well, 
bishop,  what  do  you  think  Mrs.  Kruger  Number  Six 
would  say  to  that,  if  she  saw  it  ?  A  new  favorite  in  the 
household,  eh  ? " 

"  Oh,  no  tellin',"  rejoins  Lot,  his  eyes  following  Miss 
Travenion's  light  form,  as  do  likewise  those  of  his 
companions,  for  the  girl,  robed  as  she  is  in  the  creation 
of  some  New  York  milliner,  makes  a  picture  of  maiden 
loveliness  seldom  seen  in  the  streets  of  Salt  Lake  City 
in  1871  ;  Mormon  women,  as  a  rule,  not  being  over  fair 
to  look  upon,  and  the  few  Gentile  ladies  in  that  town 
being  mostly  married  to  gentlemen  whose  business  has 
brought  them  to  Utah. 

"  I  am  simply  astonished,  Erma,"  remarks  Mr. 
Livingston,  as  they  get  out  of  ear-shot,  "  that  knowing, 
as  you  know  now,  that  this  man  is  a  Mormon,  a 
polygamist,  you  even  notice  him,  much  less  address  him 
on  the  public  streets." 

"  I  merely  asked  him  where  my  father  was,"  replies 
the  girl  rather  haughtily.  "  I  would  ask  any  man  that — 
to  get  one  minute  nearer  my  dear  papa." 

Then  she  walks  silently  by  his  side  ;  Oliver  sporadi- 
cally attempting  to  keep  up  the  conversation,  until  they 
arrive  at  the  pretty  little  Episcopal  church  on  First 
South  Street,  where  they  get  such  an  edifying  sermon 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  119 

from  Bishop  Tuttle,  who  is  assisted  by  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Kirby  in  the  service,  that  Mr.  Livingston  is  quite  de- 
lighted. 

"  Who  would  have  thought  it  !  They  even  have  altar- 
boys  out  here.  I  shall  leave  my  card  on  the  Bishop  at 
once,"  he  remarks,  as  the  congregation  is  dismissed. 

"  Why  not  see  him  immediately  ? "  suggests  Miss 
Travenion  ;  which  they  do,  and  she  has  an  opportunity 
of  asking  the  Right  Reverend  Mr.  Tuttle  if  her  father, 
Mr.  Ralph  Travenion,  is  not  one  of  his  communicants, 
and  is  much  surprised  and  disappointed  to  learn  that 
the  Bishop  has  never  heard  of  the  gentleman  she  names. 

Returning  from  church,  after  dinner  Ferdie,  who 
is  anxious,  as  he  expresses  it,  to  see  Mormonism  in  its 
glory,  induces  them  to  go  to  afternoon  services  in  the 
Tabernacle.  Under  its  vast  dome,  many  thousands  of 
the  elect  of  Utah  listen  to  a  discourse  from  one  high  up 
in  the  Mormon  priesthood,  who  tells  them  that  women 
who  bear  not  children  are  accursed,  and  goes  so  into 
the  details  of  the  "  Breeding  of  the  Righteous,"  that 
Mrs.  Livingston  whispers  to  Louise  and  Erma  to  close 
their  ears,  and  goes  out  of  the  place  to  the  pealing  of 
its  great  organ  and  the  singing  of  its  vast  choir,  feeling 
a  loathing  horror  of  these  Saints  of  Latter  Days. 

As  for  Ferdie,  he  remarks,  "  Isn't  this  a  Tower  of 
Babel  crowd  ? "  for  it  is  Conference  time,  and  Northern 
Utah  has  sent  its  Swedes  and  Scandinavians,  and  South- 
ern Utah  its  Huns  and  Bohemians,  and  there  are  Welsh 
from  Spanish  Fork,  and  Cornish  men  from  Springville, 
and  all  are  jabbering  in  their  native  tongues,  English 
being  less  heard  than  the  others  ;  and  the  men  have, 
generally,  red  faces,  scaly  from  weather  exposure,  and 
the  women  have  often  a  hopeless  look  in  their  eyes,  and 
the  children  are  mostly  tow-headed  in  this  Mormon  Con- 
ference crowd  of  1871. 

After    a   time  the  Livingstons  get  to  their  carriage 


120  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

and  drive  up  to  Camp  Douglas,  to  the  dress  parade 
which  takes  place  every  Sunday,  having  been  invited 
there  by  Captain  Ellison,  of  the  Thirteenth  Infantry, 
who  has  been  introduced  to  Louise  the  evening  before, 
and  has  been  very  much  caught  by  her  piquant  graces. 
Then,  the  parade  being  dismissed,  this  gentleman  brings 
up  several  of  his  brother  officers  to  the  Livingstons' 
carriage,  and  introduces  Lamar,  a  dandy,  dashing  lieu- 
tenant fresh  from  West  Point,  and  Johnson,  of  the  Fifth 
Cavalry,  and  several  other  of  his  brother  officers,  and 
these,  looking  for  the  first  time  upon  the  New  York 
beauties  as  they  sit  in  their  carriage,  offer  them  a  hun- 
dred pleasant  excursions  and  courtesies  ;  all  insisting 
that  the  whole  party  must  come  to  Mr.  Bussey's  ball, 
as  it  will  be  a  great  affair  in  Salt  Lake  society,  both 
Mormon  and  Gentile  ;  for  the  banker  aims  for  popu- 
larity, and  has  invited  every  one  in  the  city  who  has  a 
bank  account  or  has  any  chance  of  having  one. 

Then  they  drive  away,  and  looking  at  the  stars  and 
stripes  which  float  from  the  flag-staff  of  this  camp  bris- 
tling with  cannon  and  Catling  guns — for  Douglas,  in 
those  days,  was  held  rather  in  the  manner  of  a  belea- 
guered fortress  than  in  the  easy  method  of  a  local  garri- 
son— the  girl  cannot  help  contrasting  the  columns  of 
blue  infantry  she  has  just  seen,  and  the  vast  and  motley 
assemblage  of  men  in  the  Tabernacle,  who,  at  the  word 
of  their  president,  would  turn  upon  and  assault  this 
camp  and  make  war  upon  these  United  States  of  Amer- 
ica. For  the  danger  of  Mormonism  has  been  and  will  be, 
not  in  the  feeling  of  animosity  that  its  masses  hold  to 
this  government,  for  they  have  but  little,  but  in  their 
blind,  unthinking  allegiance  to  a  power  they  hold  supe- 
rior to  it — that  of  their  priesthood  and  the  officers  of 
their  Church. 

Then  they  come  down  the  hill  into  the  city  again  for 
supper  at  the  Townsend  House,  which  takes  place  in 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  121 

the  evening,  dinner  in  that  primitive  country  being 
the  midday  meal.  Finishing  this,  they  are  called  upon 
by  Mrs.  Bussey,  who  insists  upon  their  not  omitting  her 
ball. 

During  her  visit  she  introduces  to  the  Livingstons  a 
number  of  Gentile  ladies  in  the  hotel  and  a  few  of  the 
gentlemen  engaged  in  speculation  in  the  neighboring 
mines,  who  are  quartered  at  the  house,  and  they  pass  a 
quiet  evening  in  the  parlor,  in  conversation  with  their 
new-made  acquaintances,  whom  Miss  Travenion  charms 
with  a  song  or  two. 

These  are  mostly  plaintive  melodies,  for  thoughts  of 
her  father  will  run  in  the  girl's  brain  and  somehow  make 
her  sad.  Being  full  of  the  subject  now,  she  questions 
the  mining  operators  that  she  meets  if  they  know  Ralph 
Travenion,  and  receives  the  usual  answer  that  they  have 
never  heard  of  him  ;  and  her  anxiety  for  tidings  of  him 
increases  and  would  now  be  desperate,  did  not  a  few 
words  she  catches  from  one  mining  operator  to  another 
set  her  thinking  of  the  man  who  has  gone  to  Tintic. 

"  I  am  afraid  Harry  Lawrence  has  a  hard  row  to 
hoe,"  remarks  Jackson  of  the  Bully  Boy  to  Thomas  of 
the  Neptune.  "  He  has  got  Tranyon  and  the  Mormons 
against  him.  They  will  stop  his  sale  to  the  English 
company  if  they  do  not  get  a  goodly  portion  of  his 
Mineral  Hill." 

"  He  has  got  one  chance,  however,"  says  the  other. 

"  Indeed  !     What  is  that  ?  " 

"  Why,  don't  you  know,"  replies  Thomas  of  the  Nep- 
tune, "  that  the  prophet  up  there,"  he  nods  his  head  in 
the  direction  of  Brigham  Young's  private  residence, 
"  and  some  of  the  other  leaders  of  the  Church  are  be- 
ginning to  be  afraid  of  Tranyon  ? " 

"  Afraid  of  his  business  talents  ?  "  asks  the  other. 
"  He  has  got  plenty  of  them." 

"  No,  afraid  of  his  steadfastness  in  the  faith  of  Joe 


122  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

Smith  ;  afraid  that  he  will  refuse  to  pay  his  tithing  ! " 
laughs  Thomas.  "  They  say  he  made  a  million  last 
year,  and  he  hates  to  give  up  a  hundred  thousand  to 
the  Church."  Then  he  adds  very  seriously  :  "  Godby 
has  gone  back  on  them,  and  the  Walkers  are  no  more 
to  be  relied  upon  for  Church  dues,  and  this  time  they 
feel  they  cannot  stand  another  apostasy,  and  will  take 
desperate  measures  to  stop  it." 

"  Who  knows  but  Tranyon  some  day  may  feel  the 
fist  of  the  Church  upon  him  as  heavy  as  it  fell  on  the 
Morrisites  ? "  says  Jackson,  lowering  his  voice  to  a  whis- 
per, and,  in  spite  of  herself,  the  girl,  as  she  listens,  can- 
not help  wishing  that  the  hand  of  the  Mormon  Church 
may  smite  this  Tranyon,  if  it  will  be  any  aid  to  Harry 
Lawrence. 

But  the  evening  passes,  and  next  day  Erma  getting 
to  thinking  of  her  father  again,  it  suddenly  occurs 
to  her  to  look  in  the  directory,  which  she  does,  but 
there  is  no  Travenion  in  its  list  of  names. 

The  latter  part  of  this  day,  which  is  a  long  one  to 
her,  she  kills  by  a  drive  with  Mrs.  Livingston  and 
Oliver  to  the  Sulphur  Springs,  where  they  enjoy  the 
baths.  Mr.  Livingston,  as  they  return  home,  remark- 
ing on  the  softness  the  sulphur  water  has  given  to 
Erma's  hands,  would  become  very  attentive  and  ama- 
tory and  lover-like,  did  the  girl  but  let  him  ;  but  this 
serves  to  take  her  thoughts  from  that  subject  they  will 
dwell  on,  though  she  says,  "  To-morrow  papa  must 
come,  and  he  shall  take  me  in  the  evening  to  Mr 
Bussey's  ball." 

And  the  morrow  does  come,  but  with  it  no  father,  and 
the  girl  turns  for  forgetfulness  to  making  her  prepara- 
tions for  the  evening  ftte.  Once  or  twice,  however, 
she  grows  disheartened  and  mutters,  "  I  cannot  go. 
Dancing  to-night  would  be  a  mockery,"  then  suddenly 
cries  to  her  maid,  "The  finest  ball  dress  in  my  trunk, — 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  123 

the  light  blue  one  that  I  have  never  worn, — the  one  I 
was  going  to  keep  for  San  Francisco." 

A  second  after  she  directs  Marie  to  get  out  what 
jewels  she  is  carrying  with  her,  and  murmurs  to  herself, 
"  I  must  look  my  best  to-night,"  for  Miss  Volatile  has 
suddenly  remembered  that  three  days  have  elapsed  and 
Harry  Lawrence  may  be  at  the  fete  this  evening. 

So,  when  the  soft  October  night  settles  down  upon 
the  city,  Mrs.  Livingston  is  astonished  to  find  her 
charge  in  excited  mood. 

"  My,  how  you  will  delight  Oliver,"  babbles  the 
widow,  gazing  in  admiration  at  the  light,  graceful 
beauty  of  the  young  girl  as  she  steps  forth  ready 
for  the  Bussey  soiree  dansante ;  and  she  does  delight 
Oliver,  who  very  attentively  cloaks  her  from  the  even- 
ing air,  which  is  growing  cool  as  the  autumn  progresses 
in  this  valley.  Then  Mrs,  Livingston  and  Erma  and 
Louise,  who  is  robed  in  some  white,  float-away  dress  and 
already  engaged  for  dances  six  deep,  as  she  expresses  it, 
to  some  of  the  Gentile  gentlemen  in  the  hotel,  accom- 
panied by  Mr.  Oliver,  take  carriage  for  the  banker's  ball. 

Ferdie,  the  night  being  fine  and  the  distance  short, 
says  he  will  walk,  which  he  does  in  company  with 
Lamar  of  the  Thirteenth  Infantry,  and  Jackson  of  the 
Bully  Boy,  the  two  latter  smoking  huge  cigars,  and  Mr. 
Chauncey  affecting  the  more  youthful  cigarette. 

At  the  portals  of  the  banking-house  a  string  of  car- 
riages is  depositing  most  of  the  Gentile  magnates,  and 
some  of  the  Mormon,  though  the  Latter-Day  Saints  do 
not,  as  a  rule,  circulate  very  freely  in  outside  society, 
their  elders  fearing  the  influence  of  the  Gentile  youth 
upon  the  maidens  of  Zion,  as  to  marriage  and  giving  in 
marriage. 

The  third  story  of  the  building  has  been  arranged 
with  a  view  of  letting  it  for  public  balls,  and  Mr.  Bussey 
is  utilizing  it  for  his  private  one  this  evening.  Here,  in 


124  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

the  large  dancing  room,  the  Livingstons  and  Miss  Tra- 
venion  are  received  by  the  hospitable  banker  and  his 
wife,  who  are  shaking  hands  with  the  stream  of  guests 
now  pouring  into  the  ball-room,  and  making  it  look 
quite  bright,  though  very  much  diversified.  Costumes 
that  would  grace  a  Newport  fete  or  Parisian  ball-room 
alternate  with  the  horrors  of  Mormon  modiste  inven- 
tion, which  is,  like  the  country,  crude.  These  atrocities 
of  toilet  are  mostly  worn  by  some  pretty  Mormon 
girls,  who  have  persuaded  their  fathers,  who  are  con- 
nected with  the  Zion's  Co-operative  stores  or  other 
Deseret  industries,  to  bring  them  to  this  conglomerate 
ball ;  their  escorts  mostly  being  arrayed  in  the  ample 
black  broad-cloth  long-tailed  frock  coats  that  are 
considered  the  proper  thing  in  mining  camps  and  in 
extreme  frontier  society. 

But  as  these  latter  dance  with  much  athletic  vigor 
and  Western  abandon,  they  add  greatly  to  the  life  of 
the  scene.  The  room  is  decorated  with  flags  bor- 
rowed from  Camp  Douglas,  its  large  rear  windows 
opening  onto  a  broad  balcony,  which  has  been  made 
conservatory-like  by  flowering  plants,  and  lighted  by 
Chinese  lanterns.  Here  Mr.  Dames  and  his  band 
play  the  "  Blue  Danube,"  which  has  just  become  pop- 
ular, and  other  modern  waltzes  interspersed  with 
old  Mormon  quadrille  tunes,  some  of  which  were  com- 
posed, Ferdie  remarks,  "  before  the  Ark,"  for  this  gen- 
tleman has  just  come  in,  apparently  very  merry. 

"  Look  and  see  if  Kruger  is  not  changed,"  he  whis- 
pers into  Erma's  delicate  ear. 

"  Why  ?  He  does  look  different.  What  has  he  been 
doing?"  answers  Miss  Travenion. 

"  He  has  been  getting  his  hair  cut,  gratis"  giggles 
Ferdie ;  "  likewise  his  beard  trimmed  and  his  hair 
shampooed.  You  see,  Bussey,  with  Western  hospitality, 
has  furnished  three  barbers  for  the  use  of  his  guests, 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  125 

and  Kruger,  as  he  remarks,  has  just  been  going  'the 
whole  hog.'  He  would  have  taken  a  bath  if  there  had 
been  conveniences  in  the  gentlemen's  waiting-room," 
continues  Mr.  Chauncey,  greatly  amused. 

"  He  looks  very  happy  over  it,"  laughs  Erma  ;  for 
Kruger's  countenance  seems  quite  bland  and  genial 
this  evening.  His  black  broadcloth  frock  coat  has 
been  very  well  brushed,  and  his  shirt  front  is  apparently 
more  ample  and  crumpled  than  ever,  while  his  large 
boots  have  been  very  brightly  shined  by  the  bootblack 
on  the  corner  opposite,  and  his  gray  eyes,  as  they  roam 
over  the  ball-room,  have  an  expression  of  triumph  in 
them,  though  they  apparently  seek  only  one  object. 
Meeting  that,  Lot  Kruger  gives  a  start,  for  they  rest  on 
Erma  Travenion. 

Then  his  orbs  grow  watery  and  his  thick  lips  tremble, 
and  his  jaws  clench  themselves,  as  he  thinks,  "  If  it 
should  come  to  me, — all  this  ;  for  the  glory  of  the  Church 
of  the  Latter-Day  Saints." 

For,  robed  in  some  creation  of  Worth  that  has  been 
imported  to  America  to  make  her  seem  a  fairy,  Erma's 
beauty  is  of  the  air  not  of  the  earth.  It  is  some  light, 
gauzy,  shimmering,  gleaming  thing,  covered  with  tiny 
pink  rosebuds, — thousands  of  them, — and  floats  about 
the  girl's  dazzling  shoulders  and  gleaming  neck  and 
snowy  maiden  bosom,  which  is  of  such  exquisite  pro- 
portions and  contours  that  it  would  make  a  sculptor's 
dream  and  an  average  man's  ecstasy. 

While  over  all  this  is  a  face  beaming  with  some 
expectant  joy,  its  blue  eyes  looking  for  somebody, — 
somebody  who  has  not  yet  come. 

For  a  moment  Kruger  steps  forward,  as  if  he  would 
speak  to  her,  but  just  then  Mr.  Oliver  carries  the  young 
lady  away  to  the  dance,  and  sinking  upon  a  seat,  the 
Mormon  follows  Miss  Beauty  with  his  eyes  everywhere 
she  moves. 


126  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

Unheeding  the  remark  that  Counsellor  Smith,  of  the 
Seventies,  makes  to  him,  that  his  last  Mrs.  Smith  is 
anxious  to  hear  of  his  trip  to  the  States,  and  that  his 
(Smith's)  daughters,  by  his  first  and  second  wives, 
Birdie  and  Desie,  are  quite  ready  for  a  dance,  Lot 
drinks  in  the  girl's  loveliness  as  if  it  were  new  wine  of 
such  rare  bouquet  and  wondrous  flavor  that  he  cannot 
take  the  goblet  from  his  lips — wine  upon  which  he  will 
finally  get  drunk,  perchance  to  his  own  undoing. 

And  the  eyes  of  other  men  follow  his  also,  for  there 
is  only  one  woman  who  approaches  Erma's  charm  or 
grace  that  evening,  and  that  is  a  young  grass-widow 
from  California,  at  present  making  a  six  months'  sojourn 
in  Salt  Lake  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  a  divorce — a 
thing  easily  found  in  the  United  States  courts  in  Utah 
at  this  time. 

But  all  the  time  the  girl  seems  languid ;  and  Ollie, 
dancing  with  her,  notices  that  the  lightness  has  left  her 
step,  and  she  seems  to  dream  ;  which,  indeed,  she  does, 
thinking  of  a  ball  during  the  season  in  New  York,  to 
which  her  father  on  his  last  visit  had  taken  her,  and 
remembering  how  the  old  beau,  bon-vivant  and  club  man 
had  enjoyed  meeting  his  former  friends,  companions 
and  chums  of  other  days,  also  the  belles  of  the  last 
decade  of  Manhattan  society,  whom  he  had  greeted 
again  as  matrons  and  dowagers,  and  she  murmurs  to 
herself  :  "  How  happy  I  would  be  if  papa  were  by  me 
now  as  he  was  then." 

But  at  this  moment  Mr.  Livingston  starts,  and 
wonders  what  change  has  come  into  Erma  Travenion, 
for  suddenly  new  life  and  vigor  seem  to  enter  the  lithe 
waist  his  arm  encircles  ;  her  cheek,  before  a  little  pale, 
becomes  blushing  as  he  gazes  on  it ;  and  her  eyes,  which 
were  downcast,  grow  bright  and  radiant,  and  her  step, 
which  was  languid,  becomes  light  as  a  sylph's. 

Then  he  follows  Erma's  eyes,  and  sees  the  stalwart 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  127 

form  of  Harry  Lawrence  standing  in  the  door,  and 
looking  just  about  the  same  as  when  he  first  entered 
Mrs.  Livingston's  supper  party  at  Delmonico's  ;  and 
Ollie  says  to  himself,  a  second  time  in  his  life,  the 
awful  word,  "  Damn  !  " 

A  moment  after  the  music  ceases,  and  Captain  Law- 
rence is  by  the  girl's  side,  and  their  hands  clasp  ;  their 
eyes  have  already  greeted. 

"  I  have  driven  seventy-five  miles  to-day,"  he  says 
eagerly.  "  Am  I  in  time  to  have  a  dance  with  you  ?  " 

"  Seventy-five  miles,"  replies  Erma.  "  Then  you 
must  be  very  tired." 

"  Not  tired  till  I  have  a  dance  with  you.  Can  I  look 
at  your  programme  ?  " 

"Certainly,"  and  she  hands  it  to  him. 

But  glancing  at  it,  the  young  man  remarks  gloomily  : 
"  There  is  no  vacant  spot." 

"  No  vacant  spot  but  plenty  of  crosses.  Take  up  your 
cross  and  follow  me  !  "  laughs  Miss  Travenion.  Then 
she  explains,  "  I  always  reserve  a  few  dances  by  crosses 
for  friends  who  come  late,"  and  something  gets  into 
her  eyes  which  makes  Lawrence  very  ardent  and  very 
bold. 

So  bold  that,  being  borne  away  to  another  dance  by 
Ferdie,  Erma  looks  at  her  card  and  suddenly  whispers, 
"  Why,  he  has  taken  up  all  my  crosses,"  but  though  im- 
plored by  a  number  of  gentlemen  who  come  up  after- 
wards to  erase  some  one  of  the  many  H.  L.'s  marked 
upon  her  programme,  she  shakes  her  head  resolutely 
and  says,  "  No,  I  stick  to  my  written  contracts,"  much 
to  the  disgust  of  Ellison  of  the  Thirteenth  Infantry,  and 
Lamar,  the  dashing  lieutenant,  and  Jackson  of  the 
Bully  Boy. 

So,  a  few  moments  after,  Lawrence  coming  up  for  his 
first  dance,  she  takes  his  arm  more  happily  than  she 
has  ever  done,  to  tread  a  measure  ;  though  she  has 


128  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

been  the  belle  of  many  Delmonico  balls  and  has  floated 
about  on  the  arms  of  the  best  cotillion  leaders  of  New 
York  and  Boston. 

A  moment  after,  Harry  Lawrence,  who  has  lived  his 
life  in  camps  or  on  the  frontier,  puts  his  arm  around 
this  beauty  of  Manhattan  society,  and  for  the  first  time 
feels  her  heart  beat  against  his.  Then  perhaps  some- 
thing more  potent  than  the  strains  of  the  "  Thousand 
and  One  Nights  of  Strauss  "  getting  into  his  head,  he 
dances  with  all  his  soul.  Not  perhaps  in  so  deft  a  way 
as  Ferdie,  who  is  past  master  of  the  art,  and  glides  the 
graceful  Louise  through  the  room  in  poetic  motion,  nor 
in  the  dashing  manner  of  Lamar,  fresh  from  cadet 
german  and  Mess  Hall  hops,  with  the  California  widow, 
but  still  with  so  powerful  an  arm  that  his  partner  feels 
confidence  in  him,  and  perhaps  some  emotion  coming 
into  her  heart  other  than  the  mere  pleasure  of  the 
dance  ;  a  very  bright  blush  is  on  her  cheek  as  they 
stop. 

"Your  step  suits  mine  very  well.  You  dance  very 
nicely,"  she  murmurs. 

"  Yes,  for  a  man  who  has  not  tripped  the  light  fan- 
tastic for  years,"  replies  the  captain.  Then  he  goes 
on, "  But  who  couldn't  dance  with  you  ? " 

"  Oh,  many  men,  I  imagine,"  laughs  the  girl.  "  That 
gentleman  there,  for  instance,"  and  following  her  eyes, 
Lawrence  sees  Lot  Kruger  with  a  very  red  face,  damp 
from  over-exertion,  circling  the  room  with  a  Mormon 
lady,  the  speed  of  a  locomotive  in  his  limbs  and  the 
vigor  of  a  buffalo  of  the  plains  in  his  feet,  bringing 
dismay  and  confusion  to  surrounding  flounces  and 
feminine  trains  wherever  he  goes.  ' 

Then  his  face  grows  dark. 

"  Don't  speak  of  him  !  "  he  replies  gloomily.  "  Let 
me  throw  off  business  for  one  night  and  be  happy." 

Which  he   does,  dancing   with   Erma    so   often  that 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  129 

Ollie  becomes  very  sulky,  and  Mrs.  Livingston  feels  it 
necessary  to  play  the  chaperon,  which  she  does  very 
deftly,  mentioning  to  her  charge  that  people  are  talk- 
ing about  her  dancing  continually  with  one  gentleman. 

"  Oh,"  answers  the  young  lady.  "  What  does  it 
matter  in  this  town,  where  we  shall  remain  but  a  day 
or  two  ?  Were  it  New  York  it  might  be  different." 
Then  she  continues  rather  maliciously,  "  Besides,  I 
rather  like  it.  It  makes  Oliver  so  sulky." 

Just  here,  however,  a  practical  joke  of  Mr.  Chauncey's 
drives  all  else  out  of  the  widow's  head.  That  gentle- 
man approaches,  bearing  on  either  arm  two  quite  young 
and  rather  pretty  women,  one  apparently  American, 
the  other  with  the  light  hair  and  blond  eyes  of  a  Scan- 
dinavian, and  presents  them  with  considerable  impress- 
ment and  form  as  the  two  Misses  Tranyon  ;  very 
shortly  after  taking  off  one  of  the  young  ladies  he 
has  introduced  to  tread  a  measure. 

"  Ah,"  remarks  Mrs.  Livingston  to  the  one  left 
behind,  "  I  hope  that  you  and  your  sister  are  enjoying 
yourselves  this  evening." 

"  My  sister  ?  "  giggles  the  lady,  astonished. 

"  Of  course  !  Mr.  Chauncey  introduced  you  and  your 
sister  as  the  two  Misses  Tranyon." 

"  Oh,  I  see.  The  Missus  Tranyon  fooled  you  ! "  re-* 
plies  the  catechized  one  with  a  grin.  "  I  am  Mrs.  Tran- 
yon Number  One,  and  Christine's  Mrs.  Tranyon  Number 
Two,"  and  is  astounded  to  see  Mrs.  Livingston  grow 
pale  and  fly  from  her,  muttering  faintly,  "  Help  !  " 

But  the  explanation  of  the  Mormon  lady  has  so  horri- 
fied the  widow  that  she  forgets  all  about  Oliver  and  his 
jealousy,  and  makes  an  immediate  attempt  to  take  her 
charges  home  even  before  supper.  But  they  will  not 
go  ;  for  Louise  is  enjoying  herself  very  greatly,  and 
Ferdie  has  struck  up  a  flirtation  with  the  prettiest  Mor- 
mon girl  in  the  room,  and  is  asking  her  with  pathos  in 
9 


130  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

his  voice  how  she  thinks  she  would  enjoy  living  in  New 
York. 

"  Quite  well,"  answers  that  young  lady.  Then  she 
giggles  with  the  simplicity  peculiar  to  the  maidens  of 
Deseret : 

"  Ain't  you  already  married  to  that  fair-haired  blonde 
you  are  dancing  with  so  much  ?  Have  you  explained 
to  her  I  am  to  be  her  sister  ? " — a  proposition  that  so 
startles  Mr.  Chauncey  that  he  dodges  the  Mormon 
maiden  for  the  rest  of  the  evening. 

As  for  Erma,  to  Mrs.  Livingston's  suggestion  that 
they  leave  the  ball  at  once,  she  replies  shortly,  "  What ! 
and  break  all  my  engagements  ?  "  omitting,  however, 
to  state  that  most  of  them  are  to  Captain  Lawrence, 
and  continues  dancing  with  this  gentleman,  to  the  rage 
of  Mr.  Oliver,  who  goes  to  sulking  and  leaves  her  alone. 

Mr.  Kruger  also  noticing  the  same,  thinks  to  himself, 
"  Time  for  Lot  to  put  his  oar  in."  He  has  already 
greeted  Miss  Travenion  at  odd  times  when  he  has 
passed  with  affable  nods  and  "  How  do's  ?  "  and  "Hav- 
ing a  good  time,  Sissy  ? "  and  such  expressions  of  in- 
terest. 

He  now  comes  to  her  and  says,  stroking  his  newly 
cut  beard,  "What  do  you  promise  me,  Miss  Ermie,  if  I 
bring  you  and  your  daddy  together  to-morrow  ?  " 

"Anything,"  replies  the  girl,  excitedly. 

"  Very  well ;  you  shall  see  Pop  to-morrow,  for  one 
dance  this  evening." 

"  Why,  my  programme  is  already  full,"  demurs  Miss 
Travenion. 

"  Well,  steal  one  for  me.  Perhaps  that  Lawrence 
chap  could  spare  one.  Reckon  he's  down  on  your  card 
a  few  times  more,"  he  guffaws. 

"Very  well,"  says  the  girl  hurriedly.  "Take  the 
Virginia  reel,"  for  she  is  desperately  afraid  of  dancing 
a  waltz  with  the  athletic  Lot,  whose  feet  must  go  some- 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  131 

where  and  have  very  little  respect  for  the  toes  of 
his  partner.  Then  she  adds :  "  But  remember,  if  I 
keep  my  promise  this  evening,  you  will  keep  yours  to- 
morrow ? " 

"  Oh,  sure  as  boys  like  to  kiss,"  cries  Lot  merrily. 
This  compels  an  explanation  to  Captain  Lawrence, 
which  is  not  received  very  well,  that  gentleman  grow- 
ing Hector-like  and  muttering,  "  So  you  rob  me  for  the 
benefit  of  one  of  my  enemies  ? " 

"  One  of  your  enemies  ? " 

"  Yes,  this  man  Kruger  is  part  owner  in  the  Mormon 
company  that  is  fighting  for  my  mine, — he  and  that 
villain  Tranyon,"  he  explains,  "  and  you  dance  with 
him  ?  " 

11  Why  not,"  says  the  girl,  growing  haughty.  "  Have 
I  not  been  generous  to  you  this  evening  ? "  Then  she 
pouts,  "  You've  had  all  my  dances.  What  more  do  you 
want  ? " 

"  Supper  !  "  cries  Harry  decidedly. 

"  Supper  ?  Of  course  I  want  some  also,"  laughs  Miss 
Travenion  merrily.  "  It's  going  on  now,"  and  she 
places  her  fingers  on  Lawrence's  arm,  though  she  is 
very  well  aware  that  the  privilege  of  escorting  her  to 
midnight  refreshment  will  be  considered  by  Ollie  as  his 
"very  own."  But  Erma  is  just  tasting-  of  the  fruit 
called  "  first  love,"  and  will  eat  it,  though  it  cost  her  as 
much  as  the  apple  did  Mother  Eve. 

So,  seated  in  a  shady  nook  made  by  two  flowering 
shrubs  on  the  balcony,  she  watches  and  admires  the 
athletic  figure  of  the  gentleman  she  has  made  her  hero 
ever  since  she  saw  him  save  Ferdie's  life,  as  he  forages 
for  her.  This  he  does  with  as  much  vigor  as  one  of 
Sherman's  bummers  on  the  March  to  the  Sea,  and  with 
such  a  curious  knowledge  of  her  tastes  that  the  girl 
wonders  how  he  guesses  all  her  pet  dainties, — not 
knowing  that  the  gentleman  now  her  escort  had  had 


132  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

his  eyes  upon  her  during  every  meal  she  had  taken 
between  Omaha  and  Ogden. 

"  Why,  this  is  marvellous — just  what  I  wanted.  How 
did  you  guess  ?  "  laughs  the  young  lady  as  he  places 
his  spoils  before  her,  and  the  two  sit  down  together  to 
make  a  very  quiet  but  delightfully  t£te-a-t£te  meal, 
strains  of  music  coming  faintly  to  them,  and  the  Chi- 
nese lanterns  throwing  but  little  light  upon  them. 

Then  their  conversation,  which  is  becoming  low  and 
confidential,  is  suddenly  broken  in  upon  by  Mr.  Liv- 
ingston, who  approaches,  saying  with  a  savage  tone 
in  his  usually  placid  voice,  "  Erma,  I've  been  looking 
for  you  everywhere.  Mother  has  been  waiting  to  take 
you  to  supper  with  us  for  an  hour  !  " 

"  Thanks  to  Captain  Lawrence,"  replies  Miss  Tra- 
venion,  who  likes  this  gentleman's  tone  little,  but  his 
interruption  less,  "  I  am  already  very  well  provided  for." 

"  Ah — with  both  supper  and  flirtation,"  laughs  Oli- 
ver sneeringly. 

"  Not  at  all,"  cries  the  young  lady.  "  A  flirtation  is 
where  they  say  a  great  deal  more  than  they  mean." 

"  But  here,"  interjects  Lawrence,  whose  heart  is  very 
full  of  the  loveliness  upon  which  he  gazes  with  all  his 
might,  "  I  mean  a  great  deal  more  than  I  have  said." 
This  remark,  emphasized  by  a  very  telling  glance  of 
his  dark  eyes,  brings  furious  blushes  upon  Erma  and 
consternation  upon  Oliver,  who  loses  his  head  and 
gasps,  "  Why,  it  is  almost  a  declaration  !  " 

"  Would  you  like  me  to  make  it  stronger  ?  "  asks 
Harry  quite  pointedly,  his  remark  to  the  gentleman, 
but  his  eyes  upon  the  lady. 

But  women  in  these  social  crises  have  generally  more 
savoir  faire  than  men.  Miss  Travenion  says  coolly,  "  I 
fear  we  must  postpone  this/<?#  d 'esprit.  I  see  Mr.  Kru- 
ger  looking  for  me.  The  Virginia  reel  is  beginning. 
Mr.  Livingston,  will  you  take  me  to  him  ?  " 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  133 

So,  meeting  the  Mormon  bishop,  he  demands  his 
dance,  and  the  music  playing  its  most  lively  jig,  Erma 
sees  such  high  kicks,  such  double  shuffles,  and  such 
gymnastic  graces  from  Lot,  who,  being  anxious  to  make 
a  display  before  his  partner,  dances  with  the  vigor  of 
a  Mormon  boy  of  twenty,  that  she  does  her  share  of 
the  lively  contra-dance  betwixt  spasms  of  laughter. 

This  display  rather  amuses  Lawrence,  who  comes  to 
her  at  the  close  and  says,  "  You  were  right  in  choosing 
your  partner,  Miss  Travenion.  I  yield  the  palm  to  him 
in  cutting  pigeon  wings."  Then  he  goes  on  sullenly, 
"  There  are  two  of  the  wives  of  my  enemy  Tranyon," 
and  laughs  a  little  unpleasantly,  sneering,  "  I  suppose 
he's  got  so  large  a  family  he  has  to  obtain  other  men's 
goods  to  keep  them  all." 

"  Oh,  no  doubt,"  whispers  Ferdie.  "  I  imagine  from 
his  possessions  Tranyon  must  have  a  dozen  or  so.  He 
has  only  been  a  Mormon  eight  or  nine  years,  I  hear. 
It  must  be  awful  curious  to  live  a  life  of  continual 
orange  blossoms." 

Then  he  goes  on.  "  The  beauty  of  the  Mormon  part 
of  this  ball  is  that  the  married  men  are  all  eligible  for 
matrimony.  The  girls  need  fear  no  one  is  not  serious 
in  his  attentions.  Every  man  goes  !  " 

"  Stop  making  such  jokes,"  cries  Erma,  sternly. 
Then  she  continues,  "  It's  time  to  go  home.  Good- 
night, Captain  Lawrence,"  and  going  into  the  dressing- 
room,  she  gazes  meditatively  at  the  two  Mormon  ladies, 
wondering  what  such  a  life  as  theirs  can  be. 

The  dark  one — the  American — she  notes  is  a  woman 
of  more  decided  character  than  the  Swedish  Christine, 
though  neither  seems  to  be  over-well  educated  or  intel- 
ligent. Then  she  thinks,  "  What  a  wretch  that  Tran- 
yon must  be !  He  is  robbing  Harry  to  put  gew- 
gaws upon  these  women  !  "  for  both  are  dressed  much 
more  expensively  and  in  better  taste  than  is  usual  with 


134  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

Mormon  women,  even  the  wives  of  their  apostles  and 
rulers. 

From  this  musing  she  is  suddenly  awakened  by  voices 
outside  the  dressing-room. 

Ollie  is  remarking,  "  As  Miss  Travenion's  guardian,  I 
must  insist  upon  escorting  her  to  her  carriage." 

"  Her  guardian  ?  "  This  is  in  Harry's  tones.  "  Who 
made  you  such  ?  " 

"  Her  father  !  " 

"WHAT?" 

"  Certainly,  her  father,"  continues  Oliver's  soft  voice. 
"  He  has  constituted  me  her  guardian  until  she  becomes 
my  wife — next  winter." 

This  easy  falsehood  makes  Erma  at  first  frightened, 
then  angry,  and  a  minute  after,  coming  forth  cloaked 
and  hooded,  she  meets  Mr.  Livingston,  Captain  Law- 
rence having  apparently  gone  away. 

"  Mother  is  waiting,"  he  whispers,  and  takes  her 
down. 

But  on  the  sidewalk  outside  she  sees  Harry  standing 
despondently,  and  striding  up  to  him,  gives  him  words 
that  make  him  happy  once  more. 

"  To-morrow  at  two  I  wish  to  see  you,"  she  whispers, 
then  laughs  lightly,  "  Fairy  stories  for  girls  ;  men  don't 
believe  them  !  " 

With  this  she  steps  into  her  carriage,  and  whispers 
to  Livingston  :  "  Don't  dare  to  tell  any  more  of  your 
fibs  about  me  ! "  for  she  is  angry  with  herself  now,  and 
cogitates  :  "  What  will  that  man  think  of  me  ?  I  have 
done  an  unmaidenly  thing,  and  that  immaculate  gentle- 
man opposite  me,  gossiping  so  easily  with  his  mother 
and  Louise,  made  me  do  it." 


MISS  DIVIDENDS.  135 

CHAPTER  X. 

"PAPA  !  " 

Miss  TRAVENION  rises  quite  late  on  the  morning  after 
the  Bussey/<?te,  dresses  hurriedly,  and  runs  down-stairs 
into  the  dining-room  of  the  Townsend  House,  to  find 
that  she  is  at  lunch,  not  at  breakfast.  There  she  meets 
the  rest  of  the  Livingston  party,  who  have  arisen  before 
her,  and  are  discussing,  in  semi-excited  tones,  a  piece 
of  news  Mr.  Ferdie,  who  has  been  up  and  out,  has  just 
brought  in  to  them. 

"  Do  you  know,  Erma,  that  your  gallant  of  last 
evening  has  come  to  grief  ?  "  remarks  Oliver  in  placid 
triumph  after  the  usual  salutations  have  been  ex- 
changed. 

"  It  is  an  infernal  shame !  "  cries  Mr.  Chauncey. 
"They  say  Lawrence  is  ruined." 

"Ruined!  How?"  asks  the  girl,  growing  pale  in 
spite  of  herself. 

"Why,"  answers  Ferdie,  "as  near  as  I  can  make  out, 
not  claiming  to  be  a  mining  expert,  though  I  have 
seen  enough  ore  specimens  to  make  me  a  geologist, 
since  I  have  been  here — this  Tranyon,  who  is  a  wily 
old  Mormon  speculator,  and  whose  company  only 
claims  a  part  of  Lawrence's  mine,  has  just  obtained  an 
injunction  to  prevent  him  working  any  of  it.  Conse- 
quently, our  friend  will  not  be  able  to  extract  any  more 
of  his  ore,  and,  running  short  of  money,  will  hardly 
have  the  sinews  of  war  for  a  prolonged  legal  fight, 
and  Zion's  Co-operative  Mining  Institution,  which  has 
plenty  of  shekels  to  hire  legal  talent  and  pack  juries, 
will  have  a  good  deal  the  best  chance.  Anyway,  that's 
the  talk  about  town — I  give  it  you  as  it  comes  to  me." 

"  But  this  injunction  can  be  dissolved,"  says  Miss 
Travenion  excitedly. 


136  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

"  Yes,  if  he  puts  up  a  big  bond,"  suggests  Living- 
ston, triumphantly. 

"  Oh,  that  will  not  be  difficult.  Everybody  is  Cap- 
tain Lawrence's  friend,"  cries  Erma,  enthusiastically. 

"  Everybody  is  Captain  Lawrence's  friend  until  they 
have  to  put  up  their  money  to  aid  him,"  answers 
Oliver,  who  seems  to  get  angry  at  the  girl's  interest  in 
the  matter.  "  Besides,  everybody  is  not  his  friend  ; 
old  Tranyon  and  I,  for  instance,"  he  sneers. 

"  And  you  link  your  name  with  that  miserable 
Mormon  ?  "  cries  Erma,  a  flush  of  defiance  coming  upon 
her  face.  Then  she  goes  on  rapidly  :  "  I  should  think 
you  would  be  ashamed  of  yourself.  This  struggle,  as  I 
understand  it,  is  that  of  Gentile  against  Mormon,  and 
I  stand  up  for  my  crowd."  Here  Ferdie  cries  "  Bravo! " 
and  she  covers  her  agitation  by  a  little  laugh. 

To  this,  Mrs.  Livingston,  whose  business  had  been 
to  pour  oil  upon  the  troubled  waters  for  the  last  day 
or  two,  says  suddenly  :  "  Oliver,  I  am  going  shopping. 
Won't  you  accompany  me  ?  "  and  the  young  man,  hav- 
ing some  little  idea  that  perhaps  he  is  not  advancing 
his  cause  very  much  by  this  battle,  rises  to  go  with 
her.  As  he  goes,  he  cannot  refrain  from  firing  a  part- 
ing shot. 

He  says,  "Ask  Ferdie  what  mining  men  say  about 
your  friend's  prospects."  And  so  goes  away,  while  Miss 
Travenion  turns  a  face  that  is  anxious  upon  Mr. 
Chauncey. 

"  Well,"  says  the  boy,  "  all  agree  that,  though  Law- 
rence owns  the  mine,  he  will  be  ruined  for  lack  of 
money  to  grease  the  wheels  of  justice." 

"  This  shall  not  be  !  "  cries  the  girl,  in  so  strange  a 
tone  of  voice  that  Ferdie  gasps,  "  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  I  mean  that  it  shall  not  be !  "  answers  Miss 
Travenion. 

Then  one  of  those  ideas  that  are  called  Quixotic  by 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  137 

the  world,  but  which  make  it  nearer  to  heaven,  coming 
into  this  young  lady's  bright  mind  and  generous  heart, 
she  looks  at  her  watch  and  says,  "  I  am  going  for  a 
walk." 

"  Take  me  for  an  escort  ? "  suggests  Ferdinand,  who 
is  always  happy  to  promenade  the  streets  by  the  side 
of  Miss  Beauty,  for  he  knows  that  it  makes  others 
envy  him. 

"  No,"  says  the  girl  shortly,  "  I  am  going  alone.  I 
have  a  little  business  errand,"  and  so  departs,  straight 
for  the  business  portion  of  the  town,  her  eyes  big  with 
purpose,  though  there  are  tears  in  them  as  she  mutters, 
"  Alone  in  his  trouble,  but  I'll  help  him  defeat  that 
villain  Tranyon." 

Coming  back  from  this  journey,  excited,  dusty  and 
tired,  about  half-past  one,  she  says  to  her  maid, 
"  Quick  !  A  white  gown — something  cool — something 
breezy ;  I'm  excited  and  warm ! "  and,  curiously 
enough,  trembles  a  little  as  she  is  assisted  into  a  light 
summer  toilet.  Then  inspecting  her  watch  she  mur- 
murs, "  Two  o'clock.  He  should  be  here  ;  "  next  thinks, 
"What  shall  I  say  to  him  ?  I  must  make  this  a  business 
interview,"  and  racks  her  brain  for  some  business  to 
talk  about. 

A  moment  after  blushes  come  to  her,  for  she  gets  to 
thinking  of  her  remark  about  fairy  tales  of  the  night 
before,  and  mutters  to  herself,  "  Good  heavens  !  Will  he 
think  me  unwomanly  ? "  and  once  or  twice  hopes  he  will 
not  come,  and  looking  at  her  watch  finds  it  is  after  two, 
and  is  very  much  disappointed  that  he  has  not  called. 

So,  after  a  time,  getting  very  much  excited  over  this 
matter,  Erma  goes  down  into  the  general  parlor  of  the 
hotel,  where  she  will  be  compelled  to  receive  Harry 
Lawrence,  for  at  that  time  the  Townsend  House  had 
very  few  rooms  en  suite.  But  at  the  door,  chancing  to 
see  a  sparkling  thing  on  the  third  finger  of  her  left 


138  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

hand,  she  gasps,  "  My ! "  and  tears  it  off.  Then  she 
laughs,  "  How  lucky  !  He  might  have  thought  it  an 
engagement  ring,  and  Oliver's  horrid  fib  a  truth,"  and 
so  pockets  the  bauble,  going  to  the  window  of  the  room 
to  look  out  upon  the  sidewalk  and  see  if  her  swain  is  in 
view. 

She  is  interrupted  in  this  by  the  gentleman  him- 
self, for  Captain  Lawrence  comes  in,  a  flush  of  excite- 
ment upon  his  brown  cheeks,  dragging  with  him  by  the 
arm  Ferdie,  who  seems  nervous  also  :  as  he  well  may 
be,  for  Harry  is  laughing  like  a  frontiersman,  and  every 
now  and  then  giving  Mr.  Chauncey  little  surreptitious 
pats  and  nudges  that  from  his  athletic  arm  are  agitating. 

"  I  am  glad  you  have  come,"  says  the  girl,  "  for  I 
have  a  little  matter  of  business  to  talk  to  you  about. 
When  we  were  in  Ogden  the  other  day,  you  expended 
some  money  for  me,  which  I  did  not  have  opportunity 
to  return  you.  How  much  was  it  ? "  and  she  is  very 
glad  she  has  thought  of  this  matter  since  Ferdie  is  here, 
and  it  seems  to  her  to  be  a  reason,  if  not  a  very  plaus- 
ible one,  for  her  having  asked  the  captain  to  call. 

To  her  question  Lawrence,  after  looking  for  a  mo- 
ment astonished,  says,  all  the  while  keeping  his  grip  on 
Mr.  Chauncey,  who  manifests  several  times  a  desire  to 
edge  out  of  the  parlor  : 

"Yes,  I  believe  I  did  spend  some  money  for  a  tele- 
gram for  you  and  a  newspaper.  It  was  fifty-five 
cents." 

Then  the  girl  handing  him  the  money,  he  mutters  : 
"  Thank  you,"  and  suddenly  bursts  out,  "  I  am  in  luck  to- 
day. That  is  not  the  only  sum  I've  received.  Friends 
are  pouring  gold  upon  me  ! "  in  a  nervous  way  which  is 
peculiar  in  him,  for  up  to  this  moment  he  has  seemed 
to  Miss  Travenion  to  have  an  organization  capable  of 
standing  any  shock. 

A  moment  after  he  appears  calmer,  and  says,  "  I  have 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  139 

a  little  story  to  tell  you.  It  is  in  relation  to  that  Ogden 
matter.  You  know  that  by  an  accident  I  was  there 
permitted  to  save  the  life  of  a  very  generous  little  beg- 
gar"— here  he  pats  Ferdie  on  the  head,  who  mutters, 
"  Don't,"  and  blushes  like  a  girl.  "  This  little  gentle- 
man," continues  Harry,  "  for  the  slight  service  I  did 
him  in  saving  his  noble  little  life,  has  seemed  to  me 
unusually  grateful.  He  has  sent  me  presents — a  gold- 
headed  cane  and  a  silver-mounted  revolver  ;  but  hearing 
that  I  was — in  what  you  might  call  hard  luck,  this 
generous  boy,  who  has  not  yet  learned  that  it  is  not 
always  best  to  squander  your  money  upon  friends,  sent 
to  me  to-day  fifteen  thousand  dollars." 

"  Oh,  what  a  whopper  !  My  allowance  is  only  three 
thousand  a  year,  and  I  am  always  in  debt,"  cries  Ferdie 
with  sudden  nervousness. 

"  You  didn't  send  it  ? "  says  the  captain.  Then  he 
mutters  slowly,  "  Have  I  made  a  mistake?  " 

"  On  my  honor  as  a  gentleman,"  answers  the  boy. 
"  But,  by  Jove,  I  would  like  to  have  had  it  to  send  you, 
and  more  too,  for  you  did  save  my  life,  though  you 
don't  seem  to  like  to  have  it  mentioned." 

"  This  is  very  curious,"  gasps  Har.ry.  "  I  have 
made  a  mistake.  There  was  fifteen  thousand  put  to  my 
credit  to-day,  only  an  hour  ago,  at  Walker  Brothers.  I 
made  inquiry,  and  they  said  it  had  come  as  a  cashier's 
check  from  Bussey's  National  Bank,  on  which  I  knew  that 
your  party  had  letters  of  credit.  I  could  think  of  no 
one  else  who  would  consider  himself  under  obligation 
to  me, — at  least,  no  one  willing  to  do  me  such  a  good 
turn." 

Then  he  goes  on,  "  I  must  look  elsewhere  for  the 
friend  in  need,"  and  as  he  says  this,  some  movement  of 
the  girl  seems  to  draw  his  eyes,  and  he  looks  at  her  and 
notes  that  she  is  very  red,  and  her  eyes  are  feverish, 
and  her  small  foot  in  its  little  slipper  and  openwork 


140  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

stocking,  is  patting  the  floor  at  the  rate  of  about  one 
hundred  a  minute. 

Suddenly  he  gives  a  start,  and  a  great  red  flush 
comes  over  his  face,  for  just  at  this  moment  Louise 
comes  in,  crying,  "  Erma,  here  is  your  letter  of  credit 
returned  from  the  bank  !  "  and  with  a  childish  idea  of 
showing  the  general  importance  and  wealth  of  the  fam- 
ily to  the  Western  stranger,  remarks  :  "  I  peeped  in  her 
envelope,  and  Miss  Extravagance  has  drawn  fifteen 
thousand  dollars  to-day." 

Then  she  pauses,  astounded  at  the  effect  of  her  words, 
for  Erma,  who  has  risen  hurriedly  to  receive  the  paper, 
gives  a  sudden  cry,  and  sinks  into  a  chair,  covering  her 
face  with  her  hands,  and  Ferdie  has  suddenly  ejacu- 
lated, "  By  Ginger  !  "  and  would  giggle  did  not  the 
captain's  manner  awe  him. 

The  next  second  Harry  Lawrence  takes  the  paper 
from  Louise,  saying  gently,  "  I'll  give  this  to  Miss  Tra- 
venion.  My  business  with  her  will  be  over  in  five  min- 
utes," and  Miss  Livingston,  who,  for  a  child,  has  quite 
a  quick  perception  of  social  affairs,  taking  the  hint, 
gives  him  the  document  and  goes  silently  away. 

Glancing  at  it,  a  debit  of  fifteen. thousand  dollars  of 
this  day's  date  is  indorsed  on  the  back,  and  he  grows 
very  pale,  FOR  HE  KNOWS.  Then  coming  toward  the  girl, 
who  has  half  risen  to  meet  him,  he  says  :  "  Ferdie,  there 
is  a  good  angel  in  the  room,  my  boy, — one  of  the  kind 
that  make  men  think  earth  is  very  near  to  heaven. 
Now,  you  just  run  down  and  play  billiards,  and  I  will 
join  you  in  a  few  minutes,  and  don't  you  say  a  word 
of  what  I  have  told  you  to  any  one  in  this  world." 

"  On  my  honor,"  whispers  Chauncey,  for  there  are 
two  tears  in  Lawrence's  eyes  that  impress  him  very 
greatly.  Then  he  suddenly  cries,  "  Erma,  you're  a 
brick  !  "  and  leaves  the  captain  gazing  at  Miss  Tra- 
venion,  who  is  pale  as  death  also. 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  141 

As  he  does  so,  Lawrence  suddenly  comes  to  the  girl, 
and  says  very  tenderly  :  "  God  biess  your  noble,  gen- 
erous heart  !  " 

But  suddenly  he  seems  to  Erma  to  grow  taller  and 
tower  over  her,  and  he  shakes  his  head  and  brushes  his 
hair  back  from  his  brow,  as  if  he  were  a  fevered  lion, 
and  cries  hoarsely  :  "  This  must  not  be  !  Men  in  the 
West  do  not  take  money  from  women  !  " 

"  But  you  need  it.  What  is  it  to  me  ?  A  few  gew- 
gaws, and  jewels,  and  dresses,  and  I  have  more  of  them 
than  I  want.  Take  it  to  regain  your  own — to  smite 
down  this  wretch  Tranyon — then  repay  it  to  me." 

"  No,  that  is  impossible,"  he  answers,  slowly.  "  This 
money  shall  be  returned  to  you  before  bank  hours  this 
afternoon.  But  the  good  will  that  prompted  it — I'll 
keep  that,  if  you  please,  until  I  die."  And  supreme 
gratitude  and  undying  love  also  are  in  his  eyes,  for 
he  cannot  keep  them  from  speaking,  though  he  may, 
perchance,  control  his  tongue. 

"  But  you  need  it.  You  must  take  it.  It  is  necessary 
for  your  success,"  gasps  the  girl. 

"  I  cannot  take  it,  but  I  will  succeed  without  it,"  he 
cries.  "  I  cannot  afford  to  lose.  I  must  win  !  It  is 
not  money  I  am  fighting  for,  but " 

"What?" 

"  What  I  will  never  tell  you  till  I  have  money  enough 
to  prevent  men  calling  me  an  adventurer — a  fortune 
hunter — if  I  win  it."  And  his  eyes  speaking  to  her 
again,  she  knows  what  he  means. 

A  moment  after,  she  turns  to  him,  and  says  consider- 
ately : 

"  If  I  cannot  aid  you  in  this  way  I  can  in  another, 
which  I  hope  you  will  accept.  My  father  will  be  here 
this  evening.  He  is  a  very  rich  man.  He  will  be  more 
than  happy  to  go  upon  your  bond,  to  raise  the  injunc- 
tion, which,  I  understand,  has  crippled  you." 


142  MISS    DIVIDENDS. 

"  No,"  says  Harry,  curtly.  "  No  favors  from  your 
father  of  such  financial  magnitude." 

"Why  not?"  queries  Erma,  who  has  made  up  her 
mind  that  Lawrence  must  be  aided  in  some  way. 

"  Because  your  father,  the  first  time  he  sees  me,  must 
think  me  a  man  who  can  fight  his  own  battle  in  this 
world — a  man  worthy  to  be — "  He  checks  himself, 
and  drives  the  words  that  are  on  his  tongue  back  into 
his  throat. 

"At  all  events,"  mutters  Erma,  "  you  must  see  my 
father.  He  is  a  man  of  great  business  sagacity.  His 
advice  will  aid  you.  Promise  that  you  will  come 
to-morrow  and  see  him." 

"  I  go  to  Tintic  to-morrow." 

"  Promise  ! "  and,  being  desperate,  the  young  lady 
now  forgets  herself  and  whispers,  "  for  my  sake." 

Then  she  suddenly  feels  her  soft  hand  crushed  in  a 
frontier  grip  as  he  answers  : 

"  For  your  sake  I'd  promise  anything !  "  and,  a  mo- 
ment after,  he  raises  the  white  patrician  fingers  and 
kisses  them  with  that  reverence  and  chivalry  that  good 
men,  who  have  long  lived  apart  from  good  women,  oft- 
times  feel  for  their  sweethearts,  likening  them  unto 
their  mothers.  Then  he  murmurs,  "  Good-bye  !  " 

But  the  girl  cries,  "  Don't  forget  to-morrow.  I  will 
tell  papa  to  be  in  at  eleven  o'clock.  He  will  advise 
you  how  to  conquer  that  Tranyon.  See  !  a  rosebud 
for  good  luck,"  and  smiles  on  him.  "  I  will  pin  it  in 
your  button-hole." 

"  No,"  he  stammers,  "  let  me  carry  it  in  my  hand. 
Good-bye  ! "  almost  snatching  the  flower  from  her, 
for  he  is  desperately  afraid  of  himself,  for  gratitude 
and  love  have  made  this  young  lady's  beauty  irresist- 
ible to  him. 

Hurrying  from  this  interview,  Lawrence  thinks,  "  God 
help  me.  It  was  hard  to  keep  my  heart  from  her,"  then 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  143 

mutters  morosely,  "  I'll  not  be  called  an  adventurer, — 
an  heiress  hunter.  Her  million  stands  up  between  us 
more  colossal  than  ever."  Though  a  moment  after,  he 
says  determinedly  :  "  By  Heaven  ! — No  one  else  shall 
ever  have  her — my  angel  !  " 

At  this  moment  he  hears  behind  him,  "  A  word  with 
you,  sir  !  "  and  turning,  sees  Mr.  Oliver,  who  has  just 
noticed  the  end  of  the  parlor  interview  with  agony  and 
rage. 

"  Certainly.  Half  a  dozen,"  answers  Lawrence. 
Then  he  laughs  and  says,  "  I  am  so  happy  I  could  even 
give  you  five  minutes." 

"Very  well, — come  with  me,"  whispers  Ollie,  and 
getting  to  a  retired  part  of  the  hallway  he  turns  upon 
the  captain  and  remarks  oracularly  and  severely,  "  I 
forbid  you  to  call  again  upon  the  young  lady  who  is 
under  my  charge." 

"  Your  authority  ?  " 

"Her  father's." 

"  The  young  lady  under  your  charge,"  remarks  the 
Western  man  sarcastically,  "  hinted  to  me  last  evening 
that  you  told  fairy  tales  ;  that  you  have  no  author- 
ity whatever  in  the  matter  ;  that  she  is  her  own  mis- 
tress." 

"  The  young  lady,"  returns  Livingston,  pulling  down 
his  cuffs  in  a  nervous  manner,  "  knows  that  her  father 
wishes  me  to  control  her  life  till  she  marries  me." 
Then  getting  excited,  he  bursts  forth,  "  Good  Heavens  ! 
You  don't  suppose  that  Ralph  Travenion,  who  was  in 
his  day  the  greatest  club  man  and  swell  in  New  York, 
would  permit  his  child  to  marry  a  frontier  Vigilante 
like  you, — almost  a  mur — "  Here  Mr.  Livingston 
suddenly  checks  himself  and  shrieks  out  desperately 
and  wildly,  "  Don't  strike  me  !  I  was  once  to  have 
studied  for  the  ministry  !  " 

"  Oh,    very    well,"    says    Harry,    laughing.     "  As  to 


144  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

the  young  lady's  father,  he  can  say  to  me  what  he 
pleases.  I  am  to  see  him  to-morrow  by  appointment," 
and  he  carelessly  smells  Erma's  rosebud,  and  continues  : 
"  But  you  had  better  keep  a  civil  tongue.  I  am  too 
happy  to  hit  you,  for  if  I  did,  I  might  kill  you  ;  but 
I'll  take  you  by  your  aquiline  nose  and  lead  you  twice 
around  the  nearest  barroom,  if  you  are  not  as  polite 
and  as  mild  and  as  fragrant  as  this  rosebud,"  and  he 
walks  out,  leaving  Oliver  pale  with  rage  and  perspiring 
with  agitation — for  Lawrence's  laughing  mood  and  his 
remark  that  he  sees  Miss  Travenion's  father  by  ap- 
pointment to-morrow,  have  frightened  Mr.  Livingston 
almost  to  death. 

So,  coming  out  from  this  interview,  Harry  Lawrence 
draws  his  check  at  Walker  Brothers,  has  it  certified, 
and  walks  over  to  Mr.  Bussey's  Bank,  to  restore  Miss 
Travenion's  money  to  her  letter  of  credit. 

Chancing  on  his  errand  to  meet  Bishop  Kruger,  that 
gentleman  looks  at  him  and  chuckles  to  himself,  remem- 
bering the  ball  of  the  evening  before  :  "  You  play  a 
strong  game,  young  man,  but  I  rather  think  I  hold  the 
hand  on  ye  this  deal,"  and  being  reminded  of  his  prom- 
ise to  Miss  Travenion,  proceeds  to  hunt  up  Mr.  Ferdie 
upon  Main  Street,  remarking,  "That  cigarette  boy 
will  play  my  next  chip  for  me  right  'cute." 

He  does  not  tell  him  this,  however,  on  meeting,  but 
says  affably,  "  How  de,  Mr.  Chauncey  ?  I  think  I  can 
furnish  a  leettle  amusement  for  you  and  your  party." 

"  As  you  did  last  night,  dancing  the  double  shuffle  ? " 
laughs  Ferdie,  who  is  not  particularly  in  love  with 
Lot. 

"  No,  I  kin  do  better  than  that.  Your  party  are  out 
here  studying  the  manners  and  customs  of  us  natives, 
I  take  it.  Now,  if  you  will  bring  your  crowd  up  to 
the  Twenty-fifth  Ward  meeting  to-night,  you'll  see  a 
Mormon  Sunday-school  celebration.  Please  tell  Miss 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  145 

Ermie  that  I  will  see  her  thar  ;  I  ain't  forgot  my  promise, 
and  her  dad's  to  be  in  town  to-night." 

"  I'm  delighted  to  hear  that !  Miss  Travenion  has  been 
looking  anxiously  for  her  father,"  replies  Ferdinand. 
"  I  will  give  her  your  message,  and  if  you  will  promise 
to  cut  a  pigeon  wing,  I'll  come  up  myself,"  and  with 
this  leaves  the  genial  Lot,  who,  cursing  his  imperti- 
nence under  his  breath,  mumbles,  "  Some  day,  my  jump- 
ing-jack,  your  wit  may  cost  you  the  leettle  brains  you've 
got." 

After  Lawrence  has  left  her,  Miss  Travenion  goes 
back  to  her  room  blushingly  happy,  and  says  compla- 
cently, "  Papa  will  fix  everything.  Lawrence  will  win 
his  mine, — and  then — "  and  her  blue  eyes  seem  to  look 
quite  confidently  into  the  future,  for  she  has  supreme 
faith  in  her  father. 

Every  time  he  had  come  to  New  York  on  his  various 
visits,  he  had  brought  happiness  to  her  ;  she  remembers 
the  joy  of  his  arrival,  the  little  fetes  prepared  for  her 
as  a  school  girl,  and  the  magnificent  presents  lavished 
upon  her  from  Tiffany's  and  Kirkpatrick's  when  she 
was  old  enough  for  such  things,  and  thinking  of  her 
absent  dear  one,  she  grows  anxious  as  to  Mr.  Kruger's 
promise,  sending  to  the  office  several  times  to  ask  if 
any  one  has  called  upon  her,  or  asked  for  her,  but  the 
answer  always  comes  back,  "  No  !  "  Then  she  takes  to 
reading  Ralph  Travenion's  last  letter  to  her,  a  thing 
she  has  done  a  dozen  times  during  the  past  few  days, 
and  while  occupied  in  this,  there  is  a  knock  on  the  door, 
and  springing  up  and  tripping  lightly  to  it,  she  opens  it, 
crying,  "Papa  !  at  last !  "  but  is  disappointed,  for  it  is 
only  Ferdie's  laughing  face. 

He  says  to  her,  "  I  have  not  brought  your  father,  but 
Mr.  Kruger  wants  to  see  you." 

"Indeed?     Is  he  down-stairs  ?"  asks  Erma  eagerly. 

"No,  but  he  gave  me  a  message  for  you.  He  has 
10 


146  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

invited  us  all  to  go  up  and  see  a  little  Mormon  Sunday- 
bchool  festival." 

"  What  has  the  Mormon  Sunday-school  performance 
to  do  with  me  ?  " 

"  Oh,  nothing  ;  but  I  thought  it  would  be  fun,  and 
Mr.  Kruger — Bishop  Kruger,  I  beg  his  pardon — told 
me  to  tell  you  that  he  would  be  there  and  had  not 
forgotten  his  promise.  Your  father  will  be  in  town  to- 
night." 

"  God  bless  you  for  the  news  !  "  cries  the  girl,  then 
laughs,  "  Do  you  know,  I  was  really  becoming  anxious. 
Bishop  Kruger  has  something  to  tell  to  me.  Thanks 
for  your  invitation.  I'll  go.  At  what  time?" 

"  About  eight  o'clock,"  answers  Mr.  Chauncey. 

But,  on  arriving  at  the  dinner-table,  Miss  Travenion 
finds  that  the  Livingstons  have  made  other  plans  for  the 
evening.  Mr.  Bandman,  a  theatrical  celebrity,  at  that 
time  on  his  travelling  tour,  is  to  appear  as  Narcisse, 
and  Mrs.  Livingston  has  tickets  for  the  theatre,  and  is 
anxious  to  go. 

"  I  am  sorry  I  cannot  accompany  you,"  answers  Erma. 

"  No  ?    Why  not  ? " 

"  Because  Ferdie  and  I  are  going  to  a  Mormon  Sun- 
day-school festival.  Mr.  Kruger  wishes  to  see  me 
there.  He  has  received  word  from  my  father.  My 
father  will  be  in  Salt  Lake,  probably,  to-night." 

"Indeed?"  says  Mrs.  Livingston  complacently.  "I 
am  delighted  to  hear  that  ;  then  we  can  shorten  our 
visit  to  Salt  Lake,"  for  she  has  grown  rather  tired  of 
the  town,  and  is  anxious  to  proceed  on  her  journey. 
"  Please  give  your  father  my  compliments,  Erma,  and 
tell  Mr.  Travenion  he  must  breakfast  with  me — at  ten 
to-morrow  morning."  Then  she  says  diplomatically, 
"  Ferdie,  wouldn't  you  like  to  see  Mr.  Bandman  ?  " 

"  Quite  well,"  answers  that  gentleman  ;  "  they  say  he 
has  a  very  pretty  leading  lady." 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  147 

"  Then  you  had  better  come  with  us.  I  hardly 
dare  trust  Miss  Travenion  to  you  in  a  Mormon  assem- 
blage. You  make  careless  remarks  that  excite  their 
rage."  She  now  comes  to  the  point  to  which  she  has 
been  working,  and  suggests  :  "  Oliver,  you  had  better 
take  Erma,"  and  is  pleased  to  hear  her  son  remark  : 
"  I  will  do  so  with  pleasure." 

"  Thank  you,"  says  the  girl  in  so  grateful  a  tone  that 
Mrs.  Livingston,  who  has  heard  of  Captain  Lawrence's 
call  during  the  afternoon,  and  has  been  fearful  as  to  its 
effect  in  regard  to  Oliver's  chances  with  the  heiress,  goes 
very  complacently  away  from  her  dinner,  and  taking 
Ferdie  and  Louise,  proceeds  to  the  Salt  Lake  Theatre. 

Then  Miss  Travenion,  very  much  excited,  takes  car- 
riage, and,  escorted  by  Mr.  Oliver  Livingston,  drives  to 
the  Sunday-school  festival  in  the  little  Mormon  meeting- 
house of  the  Twenty-fifth  Ward. 

"  Papa  will  be  in  town  to-night,"  she  says  in  happy 
tones.  "  Fancy,  I  have  not  seen  him  for  eight  months. 
And  Mr.  Kruger  says  he  is  well." 

"  I  shall  be  very  happy  to  see  him,  also,"  returns 
Livingston  cordially.  "  I  have  not  met  a  man  in  this 
crude  community  yet  to  whom  I  cared  to  talk.  Your 
father's  old  Unity  Club  anecdotes  will  seem  to  me  like 
an  echo  of  New  York." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  that  papa's  small  talk  pleases 
you,"  laughs  the  young  lady,  and  a  moment  after 
says:  "We  are  here." 

Assisting  her  from  the  carriage,  Oliver  cries  to  the 
hackman  :  "Be  back  in  an  hour  !  "  for  a  carriage  at  a 
Mormon  ward  meeting  is  so  unusual  that  it  attracts  the 
attention  of  the  crowd  of  Latter-Day  Saints  who  are 
entering  the  building.  Then  he  adds  :  "  You  need  not 
stop  in  front  of  this  place.  Just  draw  up  about  a 
quarter  of  a  square  from  here  ! " 

And   the  man    driving   away,  they  mingle  with  the 


148  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

crowd,  and  are  scarcely  noticed  again,  as  Miss  Tra- 
venion,  thoughtful  of  the  place  to  which  she  has  come, 
has  dressed  herself  in  her  most  unpretentious  gown,  and 
has  covered  her  bonnet  and  face  with  a  veil  so  as  not 
to  attract  attention  by  any  contrast  of  toilet  with  the 
surrounding  congregation.  The  hall  is  already  almost 
filled,  and  they  only  find  seats  in  the  back  row  unoccu- 
pied. On  these  they  sit  down,  and  Miss  Travenion's 
eyes  go  wandering  over  the  assemblage  searching  for 
Mr.  Kruger. 

But  they  only  see  a  very  plain  meeting-room,  filled 
with  the  average  hard-featured  men  and  women  of  this 
Mormon  city,  dressed  in  their  best,  which  means  for  the 
women  gowns  that  would  be  a  horror  to  a  French 
dressmaker,  and  for  the  men,  clothes  fhat  would  be  a 
nightmare  to  a  Broadway  tailor — and  children — lots  of 
them — most  of  them  white-headed,  but  happy.  The 
stage,  moreover,  is  filled  with  them,  dressed  in  the  best 
their  mothers  can  put  upon  them,  chiefly  bright  calicoes 
and  ginghams  ;  some  of  them  looking  quite  pretty  in 
these,  for  youth  is  nearly  always  beautiful,  and  Mormon 
tots  are  generally  as  happy  as  other  children.  Over 
their  heads  hangs  a  piece  of  white  calico  in  festoons, 
bearing  this  peculiar  motto  :  "  UTAH'S  BEST  CROP  is 

CHILDREN." 

Miss  Travenion  has  just  completed  her  survey,  when 
the  man  she  is  looking  for  comes  from  a  side  door  on 
to  the  platform,  and  makes  the  stereotyped  Mormon 
address  for  such  occasions,  but  says :  "  There  is  a 
better  talker  coming  after  me.  I  refer  to  the  bishop 
of  this  ward,  the  Counsellor  of  our  President,  Bishop  R. 
H.  Tranyon,  who,  after  the  children  have  sung  a  hymn, 
will  hold  forth  on  what  is  the  duty  of  the  up-growing 
generation  of  this  Sect  and  people,  in  order  to  become 
true  Mormons,  in  the  faith  of  Joseph  Smith  and  Hy- 
rum,  his  brother." 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  149 

But  all  the  time  Kruger  is  speaking  his  eyes  rove 
around  the  assembly,  as  if  seeking  some  one,  and 
finally,  lighting  upon  the  graceful  form  of  Erma,  he 
appears  satisfied,  and  triumph  and  joy  coming  into  his 
voice,  his  audience  think  it  is  the  glory  of  Zion  inspiring 
him,  and  applaud  him  as  he  sits  down  ;  a  Mormon  girl, 
just  in  front  of  Miss  Travenion,  remarking,  "  Bishop 
Kruger  seems  to  have  his  talking-coat  on  this  even- 
ing !  " 

After  that  there  is  music  from  a  melodeon,  and  the 
children  sing  the  Mormon  song, 

"  I  want  to  be  a  Mormon, 

And  with  the  Mormons  stand," 

and  give  it  with  as  much  fervor,  Erma  cannot  help 
noticing,  as  the  Sunday-schools  in  the  East  sing  the 
beautiful  hymn,  "  I  want  to  be  an  angel,"  on  which  this 
is  an  awful  parody. 

Then  stillness  falls  upon  the  audience,  for  the  big 
gun  of  the  evening  is  coming — the  man  who  stands  upon 
the  right  hand  of  the  prophet  and  obtains  his  inspira- 
tion from  him  ;  the  man  who  has  expounded  to  them 
during  a  number  of  years  the  doctrines  of  their  creed, 
revealed  by  the  Almighty  to  Joseph  Smith,  their 
founder. 

A  moment  after  Kruger  announces,  a  peculiar  thrill 
in  his  voice,  "  BISHOP  TRANYON  !  " 

As  he  says  this,  Erma,  bending  forward  to  get  a  better 
view,  clenches  her  little  hands  together  and  thinks  to 
herself,  "  This  is  the  wretch  who  is  Lawrence's  enemy, 
and  would  destroy  his  happiness  and  mine  !  " 

Then  onto  the  platform  comes  a  figure,  wearing  his 
clothes  with  a  grace  strange  in  a  Mormon  community, 
and  whose  broadcloth  is  finer  than  the  sect  is  wont  to 
wear,  and  whose  gray  eyes  are  familiar,  and  whose  soft 
gestures  are  those  she  has  been  longing  for — and  whose 


'5° 


MISS    DIVIDENDS. 


grizzled  moustache,  now  joined  to  a  mighty  beard,  has 
caressed  her  lips.  Gazing  at  him  with  all  her  might, 
something  suddenly  snaps  in  the  girl's  head,  for  he  is 
speaking,  and  the  incisive,  smooth,  cynical  voice  now 
crying  the  glory  of  the  Mormon  Church,  the  sanctity  of 
plural,  polygamous  marriage — the  voice  now  crying  out 
the  glory  of  what  she  thinks  unutterable  indignity  and 
degradation  to  her  sex,  is  that  of — God  help  her  ! — no, 
she  will  not  believe  it,  but  still  does — HER  FATHER  ! 

In  one  awful  flash  comes  to  her  the  thought,  "  If  he 
is  what  he  is,  then  what  am  I  ? "  and  merciful  insensi- 
bility comes  with  it. 

As  for  Mr.  Livingston,  he  has  listened  to  the  prelimi- 
nary proceedings  in  a  perfunctory,  philosophical  kind 
of  way,  sometimes  scoffing  inwardly.  Then  his  mind, 
as  the  children  sing  their  hymn,  running  upon  other 
churches,  finally  comes  to  his  own  ;  he  has  got  to  care- 
lessly looking  over  the  choristers,  and  trying  to  select 
from  them  youths  who  he  thinks  would  make  good 
altar-boys  in  his  Episcopal  Church. 

He  is  hardly  awakened  from  this  when  Bishop  Tran- 
yon  is  announced,  and  looking  carelessly  at  him,  thinks, 
"  There's  something  curiously  familiar  in  the  old  Mor- 
mon— he  has  a  little  of  the  New  York  club  style  about 
him.  Good  gracious  !  that  gesture — where  have  I  seen 
it  ?  "  and  rubs  his  glasses  and  inspects  him  more  closely. 
And  then,  remembering  Travenion,  the  old  New  York 
swell,  having  known  him  as  a  boy,  and  seen  him  on  his 
visits  to  New  York,  Ollie  gets  excited,  for  the  eyes  seem 
familiar  to  him,  and  the  voice  is  the  same  that  he  has 
heard  several  times  in  the  smoking-rooms  of  the  Unity 
and  Stuyvesant  Clubs,  though  for  a  moment  he  cannot 
reconcile  himself  to  believe  what  his  memory  tells 
him. 

But  just  here,  Erma's  body  falls  a  dead  weight  upon 
him  and  her  head  droops  on  his  shoulder. 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  151 

Looking  at  her,  he  sees  that  she  has  fainted  so 
quietly  that  he  has  not  noticed  it,  and  an  awful  shock 
coming  upon  this  conventional  and  orthodox  young 
man,  he  gasps  to  himself,  "  Good  Gad,  Erma's  father  !  " 
and  is  so  paralyzed  and  petrified  that  he  makes  no 
effort  to  revive  the  girl,  but  simply  looks  on  in  a  hor- 
rified kind  of  wonder  as  the  festival  proceeds. 

In  a  daze,  he  hears  the  old  New  York  club  man  play 
his  role  of  Mormon  exhorter  and  apostle,  and  do  it 
very  well,  for  he  has  just  brought  forward  five  children 
of  assorted  sizes  and  sexes,  and  has  proclaimed  with 
sanctimonious  voice  to  the  uncouth  Saints  assembled 
about  him  :  "  These  are  my  hostages  to  the  State  of 
Deseret  ;  these  are  my  pledges  to  the  Zion  of  our 
Lord  !  "  And  taking  up  the  smallest  of  his  family — 
a  babe  with  Erma's  eyes — this  evangelist  continues  : 
"  This  tot  I  have  named  Brigham  after  our  well- 
loved  President,  and  Joseph  for  our  first  Prophet,  and 
Hyrum  after  his  sainted  brother,  who  was  murdered 
with  him — unto  the  glory  of  our  true  religion  and  the 
damnation  of  our  unbelieving  enemies."  So,  holding 
the  little  one  on  his  arm  he  cries,  "  LET  us  PRAY  !  " 

And  he  does  pray — so  earnestly,  so  impressively,  so 
tremendously  that  Oliver,  gazing  at  him  with  agitated 
eyes,  begins  to  pray  himself,  thinking  affrightedly : 
"What  shall  I  do  ?  My  God,  I  am  here  with  a  Mor- 
mon's daughter  !  " 

Then  he  would  make  an  effort  to  arouse  the  girl 
to  consciousness,  and  perhaps  cause  a  scene,  but  he 
suddenly  thinks,  "  If  I  disturb  the  meeting,  they  may 
treat  me  roughly.  These  infidels  do  not  believe  in 
Gentile  interruptions  to  their  religious  ceremonies  ;  " 
and  so  sits  quietly  by  the  side  of  the  unconscious 
girl,  till  Bishop  Tranyon,  of  Salt  Lake  City,  ex-Ralph 
Travenion,  the  New  York  exquisite,  dandy  and  club 
man,  finishes  his  harangue,  and  the  people  crowd  about 


152  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

the  platform  and  congratulate  him  on  his  great  speech, 
to  the  glory  of  God  and  Brigham  Young,  his  prophet. 

But  looking  at  Bishop  Tranyon  now,  Oliver  thinks 
he  sees  the  cynic  scoff  of  the  Manhattan  swell,  as  if, 
fight  it  how  he  will,  he  can't  keep  down  a  sneer  at  the 
religion  that  he  preaches. 

Just  then,  heart-breaking  consciousness  and  recollec- 
tion coming  to  the  girl,  she  says  in  a  low,  faltering 
voice,  placing  a  feeble  though  pleading  hand  upon  his 
arm,  "  Take  me  away  ! " 

In  the  confusion  and  hilarity  of  the  festival,  the  melo- 
deon  playing  loudly  and  the  children  singing  that  well- 
known  Utah  Sunday-school  hymn, 

"Say,  Daddy,  I'm  a  Mormon  !" 

unnoticed  by  all  save  Kruger,  who  knows  his  arrow  has 
struck  its  shining  mark,  Oliver  gets  Erma  out  of  the 
hall  and  to  the  carriage,  which  fortunately  has  returned. 

Lifting  her  in,  he  cries,  in  feeble  agitation,  "  The 
Townsend  House  !  Quick  !  "  for  he  fears  his  charge  will 
faint  again  in  the  carriage.  But  she  is  beyond  fainting 
now. 

She  whispers  hoarsely  :  "  You  recognized  him  also  ? " 
then  wrings  her  hands,  and  gasps,  "  My  God  !  my 
father  !  "  next  bursts  out :  "  That  was  the  reason  I  did 
not  meet  him.  That  is  the  reason  he  never  wanted  me 
to  come  West  to  live  with  him — among  his  concubines 
he  calls  wives — he,  my  father,  who  once  called  my 
mother  wife  ! " 

Then  to  Oliver  Livingston  comes  the  opportunity 
of  his  life — his  one  supreme  moment  to  win  this 
woman,  who  is  more  beautiful  in  her  agony  even  than 
in  her  joy  ;  for  the  girl  has  fallen  sobbing  on  his  shoul- 
der, and  had  he  but  treated  her  as  if  he  loved  her — 
aye,  even  pitied  her — she  would  have  given  unto  him 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  153 

gratitude  so  potent  it  might  have  grown  to  love,  and 
so  made  her  his. 

But  his  puny  heart  is  too  small  for  such  magnanimity, 
and  to  her  tears  and  her  mutterings,  "  What  will  the 
world  think  of  me  now?"  he  replies  :  "  This  is  awful. 
This  is  a  terrible  thing  for  you.  It  will  take  you  a 
long  time  to  live  this  down.  You  had  better  retire 
from  society  for  a  time.  Prayer  and  repent — " 

And  so  his  opportunity  forever  leaves  him.  The  girl 
cuts  short  his  last  word  with  a  shudder,  then  draws 
herself  up,  and  says,  a  desperate  gleam  in  her  eyes  : 
"  Don't  dare  to  talk  to  me  as  if  the  sin  of  my  father  was 
my  sin.  That  kind  of  innuendo  I  will  not  permit  !  " 
next  mutters  :  "  I  asked  for  sympathy  and  you  gave 
me  a  sermon  !  "  A  moment  after,  she  says,  in  measured 
tones,  "  We  are  at  the  hotel.  You  need  not  help  me 
down.  The  touch  of  the  polygamist's  daughter  might 
sully  you,  Mr.  Immaculate  ! "' 


CHAPTER   XI 

"  FOR    BUSINESS   PURPOSES." 

THEN,  unheeding  his  proffered  aid,  Erma  descends 
from  the  carriage,  and  going  into  the  house,  he  follow- 
ing her,  she  turns,  and  says  haughtily  :  "  I  wish  to  see 
your  mother  as  soon  as  she  comes  from  the  theatre  ;  but, 
before  that,  I  must  see  him"  and  mutters,  "  If  it  is  not 
too  much  of  a  service  to  me,  in  my  extremity,  go  back 
to  the  meeting  and  tell  my  father  to  come  to  me  at 
once.  It  may  be  the  last  favor  I  shall  ever  ask  of  you," 
and  strides  to  her  room. 

So,  he  leaves  her  to  go  on  her  errand  ;  but  chancing 
to  pass  a  barroom,  he  goes  in,  a  thing  which  is  unusual 
for  him,  and,  calling  for  a  glass  of  brandy,  gulps  it 
down,  his  hands  trembling  a  little. 


154  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

Thinking  the  matter  over  as  he  drinks,  he  con- 
cludes his  mother  should  be  told  first,  and  going  to 
the  Salt  Lake  Theatre,  purchases  a  ticket. 

It  is  fortunately  an  entr'acte,  and  he  very  shortly 
finds  Mrs.  Livingston's  seat.  Walking  down  the  aisle  to 
her,  he  whispers,  "  Bring  Louise  and  Ferdie  at  once. 
Something  terrible  has  happened  !  " 

Looking  at  the  white  face  of  her  offspring,  the 
widow  suddenly  gasps,  "  Good  Heavens  !  Erma  has 
eloped  with  that  awful  Captain  Lawrence,  the  Vigi- 
lante," and  grabs  helplessly  for  her  wraps. 

"  No,"  he  says  grimly,  as  he  supports  her  to  the  door, 
Ferdie  and  Louise  following  them  ;  "  but  it  is  almost 
as  bad." 

"  Tell  me,"  whispers  his  mother,  and  seeing  that  he 
does  not  answer,  goes  on  hysterically  :  "  Tell  me  or  I 
shall  faint  right  here."  But  he  finally  gets  her  to  the 
sidewalk,  where  the  breezy  air  cools  her  nervous  system, 
and  putting  her  into  the  carriage  he  has  brought  with 
him,  where,  if  she  so  elects,  she  can  faint  comfortably, 
he  tells  her  in  a  few  words  what  has  happened. 

Then,  unheeding  her  exclamations  of  surprise  and 
horror,  as  likewise  those  of  Louise  and  Ferdie,  he 
whispers,  "  Go  back  to  the  hotel.  I  am  going  to  find 
this  Mormon  and  bring  him  there,"  and  leaving  the 
carriage  to  drive  back  to  the  Townsend  House,  starts 
on  foot  for  the  meeting  in  the  Twenty-fifth  Ward. 

But  Salt  Lake  City  blocks  are  long,  and  Mr.  Living- 
ston's episode  at  the  theatre  has  taken  some  time. 
When  he  reaches  the  meeting-house,  its  windows  are 
dark,  the  festival  has  ended,  and  there  is  nothing  left 
him  but  to  return  to  the  hotel. 

On  his  way  back,  however,  his  mind  being  on  other 
things  than  his  footsteps,  he  wanders  into  one  of  the 
streams  that  flow  in  this  peculiar  city  where  gutters 
would  be  in  ordinary  towns,  and  it  being  knee-deep, 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  155 

comes  out  of  it  in  a  very  bad  humor.  This  is  not  de- 
creased by  the  dust  which  settles  upon  his  immaculate 
inexpressibles,  and  gives  him  a  very  sorry  appearance. 

As  he  enters  the  hotel,  Louise  comes  to  meet  him 
with  a  frightened  face,  and  whispers,  "  Mamma  is  talk- 
ing to  her  in  her  parlor,"  then  suddenly  cries  out, 
"  Goodness  !  Have  you  been  fighting  with  her  father  ? " 

At  which  he  snaps  at  her,  "  Go  to  bed,  you  little 
idiot,"  and  pushing  past  her,  enters  his  mother's  sitting- 
room  in  by  no  means  the  frame  of  mind  to  properly 
meet,  even  for  his  own  interest,  the  situation  before  him. 

The  room  is  but  slightly  illuminated, — the  Townsend 
House  gas,  manufactured  on  the  premises,  being  only 
strong  in  odor. 

By  it  he  can  see  Miss  Travenion  standing  near  the 
centre  of  the  apartment,  so  white  she  would  seem 
a  statue,  were  it  not  for  the  dazzling  brilliancy  of  her 
eyes,  that  appear  to  have  burnt  up  the  tears  that  were 
in  them,  and  a  slight  nervous  twitching  of  the  hands, 
such  as  comes  to  us  when  hope  is  no  more. 

Mrs.  Livingston,  seated  on  a  sofa,  is  speaking  in  a 
tremulous  sort  of  way,  for  the  girl's  manner  just  at  this 
time  frightens  her. 

She  is  saying,  "You  had  best  leave  this  awful  place 
to-morrow  morning,  and  come  with  us  to  California. 
I  have  ordered  your  maid  to  pack  your  trunks.  My 
maid  is  doing  the  same."  Then  she  turns  to  her  son, 
remarking,  "  You  think  it  will  be  best,  also,  Oliver  ?" 

But  Erma  prevents  his  reply.  She  cries,  taking  a 
step  towards  him,  "  My  father  !  "  and  seeing  no  one  be- 
hind him,  gasps,  "  What  have  you  done  to  him,  or  what 
has  he  done  to  you  ?  "  for  Mr.  Livingston's  pale  face  and 
disfigured  trousers  suggest  ideas  of  combat  that  would 
make  her  laugh  at  other  and  happier  times. 

To  this  he  replies  curtly,  "  Nothing  ;  I  could  not  find 
him." 


156  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

"Why  not?" 

"  Their  blasphemous  meeting-house  was  closed." 
Then  he  says  in  a  nasty,  sneering  tone,  for  the  young 
lady's  manner  has  added  to  his  anger,  "Your  father 
and  his  Mormon  brats  had  gone  away." 

"  His  Mormon  brats  ?  "  This  comes  from  both  Mrs. 
Livingston  and  Erma,  though  one  gives  it  with  a 
shriek  and  the  other  with  a  shudder. 

"  Yes,  your  five  little  brothers  and  sisters,"  he  sneers 
at  Erma.  "  Didn't  you  see  them  ?  They  got  the  Sun- 
day-school prizes,  I  think.  They  look  like  your  father, 
and  one  of  the  girls  has  your  eyes,"  and  would  go  on 
with  some  more  such  scoffing  pleasantries,  did  not 
his  mother  spring  to  him  and  whisper,  "  Idiot !  "  for 
the  girl  has  sunk  down  sobbing  upon  a  chair  and  is 
wringing  her  hands  at  this  last  cruel  revelation. 

Not  liking  his  mother's  word,  Oliver  grows  more 
angry,  and  says  sternly,  "  Remember,  I  am  the  head 
of  the  family,  and  shall  take  this  matter  into  my  own 
hands."  To  this,  Mrs.  Livingston,  who  since  his  father's 
death  has  grown  to  look  upon  him  as  the  director  of  the 
family,  saying  nothing,  he  continues  :  "  Erma,  I  have 
been  thinking  this  matter  over  as  I  returned.  Your 
father's  crimes  have  placed  him  outside  the  laws  of 
this  land.  Under  these  circumstances,  I  feel  it  incum- 
bent on  me  to  take  charge  of  your  life."  This  peculiar 
assumption  of  power  he  makes  very  placidly,  turning 
to  the  young  lady,  who  answers  him  not,  his  last  reve- 
lation still  overcoming  her. 

Noting  this,  Mr.  Complaisant  thinks  :  "  My  manner 
has  subdued  her.  Crushed  by  this  blow,  Miss  Haughty, 
who  has  defied  and  jeered  me  for  the  last  few  days,  is 
how  submissive  to  my  authority,"  and  the  pangs  of  jeal- 
ousy and  rage  that  had  been  administered  by  Harry 
Lawrence  come  into  his  small  mind  to  make  him  take 
a  smaller  revenge. 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  157 

He  says,  "  I  think  it  is  best,  mother,  that  we  post- 
pone our  visit  to  California,  and  immediately  return  to 
the  East,  until  I  can  make  proper  arrangements  for  Erma. 
It  will  take  her  a  long  time  to  live  this  scandal  down." 

"Ah,  you  are  very  kind  to  the  friendless  daughter  of 
a  Mormon,"  interjects  the  girl,  sarcastically  ;  but  he 
being  full  of  himself,  does  not  heed  her,  and  continues : 
"  A  proper  retirement  from  society  is  due  to  it." 

"  Retirement  !  "  she  exclaims,  "  to  expiate  my  father's 
crimes  !  "  then  says  sadly  :  "  You  seem  to  think  that  I 
am  sullied  by  his  sin  ;  "  next  sneers,  "  Perhaps  you  im- 
agine a  reform  school  or  a  convent  would  be  the  proper 
place  for  me,  Mr.  Livingston." 

"  Not  exactly  that." 

"  No,  but  something  like  it,"  cries  Erma,  and  rising, 
she  towers  above  him,  and  goes  on  in  mighty  scorn  : 
"  And  you  dare  arrogate  authority  over  me  ?  You  are 
neither  my  guardian  nor  my  trustee  ;  "  next  jeers  at  him, 
for  her  torture  makes  her  cruel :  "  If  every  girl  in  New 
York  society  expiated  their  father's  social  crimes,  how 
many  would  escape  ?  Little  Louise,  for  instance — eh  ?" 

This  awful  shot  brings  tears  to  Mrs.  Livingston's 
eyes,  for  her  dead  spouse  had  been  of  such  a  peculiar 
social  nature  that  he  had  been  known  by  his  intimates 
as  "  Mormon  Livingston." 

"  Hush  !  Your  father's  sins  are  open  ones,"  says 
Oliver. 

But  she  turns  on  him,  crying  :  "  It  is  not  your  place 
to  criticise  him.  If  atonement  is  in  order,  atone  for 
yourself,  Mr.  Immaculate  !  "  and  this  is  another  facer 
for  Oliver,  who  has  had  his  weak  moments  in  which  he 
has  listened  to  sirens'  voices,  as  many  men  in  New 
York  society  have. 

Then,  a  second  after,  the  girl  says,  slowly  :  "  You  go 
on  with  your  trip,  Mrs.  Livingston,  as  if  nothing  had 
happened." 


158  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

"  But  you  ?"  asks  the  widow,  who,  knowing  that  Miss 
Travenion's  remarks  have  been  made  in  frenzy,  forgives 
her  and  pities  her. 

"  I  go  to  my  father." 

"  To  do  what  ?  " 

"  To  DRAG  HIM  FROM  HIS  INIQUITY  !  Good-night,  and 
— good-bye"  and  saying  this,  the  young  lady  sweeps 
from  the  room,  brushing  past  Louise,  who  is  standing 
outside  the  door  in  childish  astonishment  and  dismay. 

But  Mrs.  Livingston  is  whispering  to  Ollie.  "  Idiot ! 
You  have  driven  her  and  her  million  away  from  us. 
Think  of  Louise  and  me." 

To  this  he  answers  surlily,  "  I  don't  believe  it  wise  to 
wed  a  girl  society  will  look  down  upon." 

"  Fool !  "  cries  his  mother.  "  How  long  do  you  think 
it  will  take  in  New  York  society  for  a  girl  with  sixty 
thousand  dollars  a  year  to  live  anything  down?"  and 
leaving  him  to  digest  this  truthful  platitude,  she  pur- 
sues Miss  Travenion,  overtaking  her  at  the  entrance  of 
that  young  lady's  room. 

Here,  diplomat  as  she  is,  she  makes  a  mistake. 
Louise  has  also  followed,  and  Erma  impulsively  seizes 
the  girl,  whom  she  loves  very  well,  and  kisses  her  ten- 
derly and  whispers,  "  Good-bye  !  " 

Coming  upon  this,  Mrs.  Livingston,  anxious  for  un- 
interrupted interview,  thoughtlessly  says  :  "  Louise,  go 
to  bed  at  once  !  We  leave  on  the  early  train  to-morrow 
morning  !  " 

At  this,  Erma,  whom  humiliation  makes  sensitive, 
draws  back  and  mutters,  "  Do  you  fear  my  touch 
will  contaminate  her  ?  " 

"  Not  at  all,"  says  Mrs.  Livingston.  "  You  mistake 
me,  dear  Erma.  I  want  to  beg  you  to  come  with  us 
to  California.  You  mustn't  think  of  what  Ollie  in  his 
agitation  said  to  you." 

"  I  don't,"  answers  Erma.    "  Thank  God  that  wounded 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  159 

my  pride,  but  not  my  heart !  "  For  in  all  this  cruel 
humiliation  she  has  been  conscious  of  one  joy — that 
any  chance  of  union  with  Oliver  Livingston  is  now  for- 
ever ended. 

"  You  must  reconsider  your  rash  determination,"  en- 
treats the  widow. 

"  Impossible  !  " 

"  In  your  present  excited  state  you  had  better  not 
see  your  father." 

"  Now  it  is  necessary  that  I  see  my  father — more  so 
than  ever." 

"  You  cannot  live  with  him  with  those  awful  women." 

"  Oh,  don't  fear  for  me,"  says  the  girl.  "  There  are 
others  who  will  protect  me  here,  if  he  will  not." 

"  Who  ? "  gasps  the  widow. 

"  The  man  I  love!"  And  opening  her  door,  Erma 
Travenion  flies  in  and  locks  it ;  then  starts  aghast !  and 
cries  in  a  hoarse  and  rasping  voice,  "  Tranyon  ! — Bishop 
Tranyon  !  the  wretch  Tranyon  !  who  has  ruined  him  ! 
My  God  !  what  will  Harry  Lawrence  think  of  Tranyon 
the  Mormon's  daughter?"  And  sinking  down  upon  the 
bed,  she  writhes  and  moans,  for  at  this  thought,  which 
has  been  mercifully  kept  from  her  till  the  last,  nothing 
seems  left  her  in  this  world. 

During  this  time,  Ferdie  has  been  abstractedly  sit- 
ting in  a  neighboring  barroom,  every  once  in  a  while 
walking  up  to  the  barkeeper  and  whispering  "  Brandy  !  " 
then  muttering  to  himself  over  it,  "  Miss  Mormon  is 
having  a  high  old  time  with  auntie  and  Ollie."  The 
rest  of  his  time  he  whistles  meditatively.  Just  about 
midnight,  he  thinks  :  "  She  is  through  with  Mrs.  Liv- 
ingston. I  wonder  if  I  could  not  do  anything  to 
help  her  ? " 

So,  there  comes  a  knock  upon  Miss  Travenion's  door, 
and  she  opening  it  herself,  for  she  has  not  undressed, 
finds  Mr.  Chauncey,  who  looks  sheepishly  at  her  and 


l6o  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

says  in  confused  tones:  "  Oliver  has  told  me  your  deter- 
mination. We  are  going  to  San  Francisco  to-morrow 
morning.  You  remain  here  to  see  your  father." 

"  Yes,  Ferdie,"  answers  the  young  lady. 

"  Any  way,  you  are  better  off  away  from  that  prig 
till  he  gets  over  the  shock,"  replies  the  boy.  Then  he 
laughs  a  little,  and  says  suggestively,  "  You  can  have 
him  back  whenever  you  want,  I  imagine,"  nodding 
towards  Mr.  Livingston's  apartment. 

"  I  don't  want  him  back." 

"  No,  I  presume  not,"  returns  Mr.  Chauncey,  trying 
to  smooth  matters,  "  not  since  you  have  seen  our  hero, 
Captain  Lawrence."  So  he  unwittingly  gives  the  girl 
another  stab,  but  tries  to  correct  it  by  muttering  : 

"  By  Jove,  I  had  forgotten  !  Your  dad  is  the  man 
who  is  busting  him.  Harry  isn't  stuck  after  Tranyon, 
is  he?"  To  this  getting  no  reply,  he  goes  on  hastily: 
"  If  you  want  me,  I  will  stay  here  and  look  after  you. 
I  don't  care  to  go  to  California." 

"  Oh,"  says  Erma,  "  don't  fear  for  me.  My  father 
has  taken  care  of  me  till  now.  You  don't  suppose  he 
would  injure  a  hair  of  my  head  ? "  then  sobs,  "  And  he 
was  so  good  to  me.  I  expected  such  joy  at  meeting 
him." 

Here  Ferdie  desperately  turns  the  subject,  for  girls' 
tears  always  embarrass  him. 

He  says,  "  Can't  I  do  anything  for  you  ?  Tell  me — 
just  anything." 

"Yes,"  says  the  young  lady,  shortly.  Then  she  con- 
siders a  moment  and  asks  : 

"  You  know  where  this  Bishop  Kruger  lives  ?  " 

"  No,  but  I  can  easily  find  out." 

"  Very  well.  Will  you  take  a  note  to  him  for 
me?" 

"  With  pleasure  !  "  he  cries,  as  if  glad  she  has  given 
him  a  chance  to  do  her  service.  So,  sitting  down,  she 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  l6l 

writes  a  few  lines  hurriedly,  and  gives  the  epistle  to 
Mr.  Chauncey. 

Half  an  hour  afterward  he  returns,  and  knocks  on  her 
door.  She  is  engaged  with  her  maid,  who  has  become 
frightened  at  being  left  behind  the  Livingston  party, 
and  says  she  wishes  to  return  to  New  York. 

Answering  his  summons,  Erma  asks  anxiously,  "  Did 
you  deliver  it  ?" 

"  Yes  ;  he  was  in  his  shirt  sleeves,  but  he  read  it,  and 
said  he  would  be  down  in  the  morning.  He  seemed  to 
chuckle  over  it.  I  don't  think  I  would  trust  your  father's 
friend  any  too  much,"  suggests  the  boy. 

"  Thank  you,"  cries  the  girl,  "  for  your  advice  and 
your  kindness,"  and  being  desperately  grateful  for  this 
one  act  of  consideration  shown  to  her  this  night,  she 
says  to  him  suddenly  :  "  Good-bye.  God  bless  you, 
Ferdie  !  "  and  gives  him  an  impetuous  kiss — the  sweetest 
he  has  ever  had  in  his  life,  though  with  it  she  leaves  a 
tear  upon  his  cheek. 

Then  she  comes  in  and  says  with  business-like  direct- 
ness to  her  faltering  abigail,  "  You  wish  to  leave  me, 
Marie,  here  alone  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  am  afraid.     Mademoiselle  will  pardon  me." 

"  Certainly.  Here  are  your  wages  !  Here  is  money 
for  your  ticket  to  New  York.  Now  go." 

"  Mademoiselle  will  pardon  me  ?" 

"  Yes,  leave  me,"  and  Marie  departing,  Erma  Trave- 
nion  feels  that  she  is  indeed  alone  in  a  strange  country, 
for  she  hears  the  noise  of  the  Livingstons'  trunks  as 
they  are  packing  them  and  getting  ready  to  depart  in  a 
hurry  that  does  not  seem  altogether  flattering  to  her. 

Early  the  next  morning,  the  widow,  Louise,  Mr. 
Livingston,  and  Ferdie  depart  for  Ogden,  though  the 
California  train  does  not  start  from  that  town  until 
the  evening  ;  they  are  so  desperately  anxious  to  shake 
the  dust  of  Salt  Lake  City  from  their  feet. 


l62  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

At  the  depot,  Ferdie  notices  Bishop  Kruger,  who 
gazes  at  the  party  as  they  board  the  train,  and  approach- 
ing Mr.  Chauncey,  remarks,  "  I'll  see  Miss  Ermie  up  at 
the  hotel.  She  ain't  going  with  ye,  sure  ?  "  peering 
about  with  curious  eyes,  as  if  to  be  certain  of  this  fact. 
Then  the  train  runs  out,  bearing  the  Livingstons  toward 
the  Pacific  Coast,  and  Bishop  Kruger,  about  eight 
o'clock  on  this  day,  finds  Miss  Travenion  waiting  for 
him  at  the  Townsend  House. 

The  girl  comes  down  into  the  parlor  very  simply 
dressed,  but  perhaps  more  beautiful  than  ever,  to  his 
pastoral  eyes,  for  he  remarks  to  himself,  "  Be  Gosh  ! 
She  looks  homelike  and  domestic." 

"My  father  !"  she  says  shortly.  Then  gazing  round, 
she  goes  on  impetuously  :  "  He  is  not  here — he  feared 
to  see  me — he  is  ashamed  !  " 

"  What !  that  he's  a  Mormon  ? "  yells  Kruger,  sav- 
agely. "A  true  man  glories  in  that  ;  so  does  your 
daddy.  Perhaps  some  day  you'll  jine  him." 

"Hush!"  says  Erma.  "Don't  speak  of  it,"  and 
she  shudders.  Then  she  asks,  "Where's  my  father 
now  ? " 

"In  town  !  But  I  ain't  told  him  you  was  here  yit.  I 
thought  he  might  be " 

"  Ashamed  ! "  cries  the  girl,  but  suddenly  pauses. 
Kruger's  looks  alarm  her. 

"  If  I  thought  as  how  R.  H.  Travenion  was  ashamed 
of  the  holy  Church  of  our  Latter-Day  Saints,  I'd  cut 
him  off  root  and  branch  in  this  world  and  the  next," 
he  says,  the  wild  gleam  of  fanaticism  coming  into  his 
deep  eyes.  "  I  swear  it,  by  the  Book  of  Mormon  !  " 
Erma  knows  this  man  means  his  words,  for  Lot  Kruger 
is  a  fanatic,  and  believes  in  his  creed  and  in  Joseph 
Smith,  as  truly  as  the  Dervish  believes  in  Allah  and 
Mahomet.  "  Your  daddy  is  in  town,"  he  goes  on 
more  calmly,  "  but  I  feared  he  might  be  flustered  if 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  163 

he  knew  you  had  come  upon  him,  as  it  were,  in  the 
night,  and  so  I  kept  my  mouth  shut." 

"  Will  you  bring  him  to  me  now  ?  " 

"  Yes,  in  an  hour  !  " 

So,  Mr.  Kruger  departs  on  his  errand,  but  shortly 
reappears,  and  says,  "  We  have  missed  him  agin.  Your 
daddy's  left  for  Tintic  on  the  stage  this  morning  at 
eight  o'clock." 

"  Very  well,"  answers  Miss  Travenion  shortly.  "  I'll 
go  to  Tintic  also." 

This  suggestion  pleases  Bishop  Kruger  so  much  that 
he  cries,  "  Right  you  are !  Ye're  true  grit,  Sissy  !  You'd 
better  go  down  by  private  conveyance.  It'll  be  much 
more  pleasant  for  ladies." 

"  Oh,  I  am  alone  now  ;  my  maid  has  left  me,"  an- 
swers Miss  Travenion  ;  and  this  remark  delights  her 
auditor  more  than  he  would  like  her  to  guess.  He  goes 
on  happily,  "  It's  only  seventy-five  or  eighty  or  per- 
haps ninety  miles  from  here.  You  can  drive  down  in  a 
day  with  a  good,  tough  bronco-team,  but  still  you  had 
better  take  it  slowly  and  stop  over  night  at  Milo  John- 
son's." 

"  Alone  in  a  Mormon  house?"  shudders  the  girl. 

"  Oh,  you'll  be  as  safe  thar  as  if  you  were  in  your  bed 
on  Fifth  Avenue.  You  can  travel  all  over  here,  provided 
you  do  not  hurt  our  feelings,  as  safe  as  if  you  was  in 
Connecticut — more  so — we  don't  have  no  burglars 
around  here  ! "  says  Lot,  reassuringly. 

Making  inquiries  at  the  hotel  office,  Miss  Travenion 
finds  that  the  Mormon  bishop's  advice  has  been  good. 
Then,  being  provided  at  the  hotel  with  a  private  team, 
she  comes  down  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  day,  to  depart  for 
Tintic,  and  is  surprised  to  see  the  attentive  Kruger 
ready  to  assist  her  into  the  light  wagon,  which  has  a 
top  to  keep  off  dust  and  sun. 

"  You  didn't  expect  any  one  to  see  you  off ! "  he  remarks. 


164  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

"  But  most  every  one  here  would  do  a  heap  for  Bishop 
Tranyon's  darter."  Then  he  chuckles:  "  Ye're  kind  o' 
one  o'  us  now  !  "  and  drives  the  iron  into  Erma's  soul. 

"  Thank  you.  I  suppose  you  mean  it  for  a  compli- 
ment," she  says,  attempting  lightness,  though  her  lip 
twitches.  "  But  I  am  a  little  different  still,  to  a  Mor- 
mon girl  !  "  and  gets  into  the  carriage  before  he  can 
aid  her. 

"  So  you  are  !  Ye're  a  prize-book  picture,"  he  mut- 
ters, looking  at  her  till  his  eyes  blink  from  some  subtle 
passion,  for  Miss  Travenion  is  dressed  in  a  cool,  gray 
linen  travelling  costume,  that  fits  her  charming  figure 
with  a  "  riding  habit  "  fit,  till  it  reaches  white  cuffs  and 
snowy  collar,  and  a  little  foot,  that  in  its  French  kid 
boot  looks  as  if  it  had  come  out  of  a  fashion  plate. 
Thus  attired,  she  makes  a  very  breezy,  attractive  pic- 
ture ;  though  there  is  no  one  to  enjoy  it,  save  Kruger, 
for  the  heat,  even  on  this  October  day,  has  driven 
loungers  from  the  sidewalk. 

Then  turning  from  her,  as  she  drives  down  the  State 
road,  this  Mormon  fanatic  remarks  :  "  Gee  hoss !  Don't 
this  give  the  Church  a  pull  upon  the  daddy,  and  Lot 
Kruger  a  hold  upon  the  darter  ! "  and  so  goes  to  a  little 
building  on  South  Temple  Street  devoted  to  the  busi- 
ness affairs  of  the  Latter-Day  Saints. 

Miss  Travenion,  raising  a  little  sunshade  over  a  face 
made  beautiful  by  conflicting  emotions,  journeys  down 
the  State  road,  which  leads  towards  the  south — past 
the  Utah  Southern  Railway,  that  is  now  being  graded, 
and  after  a  dusty  seven  hours'  ride  comes  to  the  Point- 
of-the-Mountain.  Here  she  is  very  hospitably  enter- 
tained, and  well  treated,  by  one  of  the  many  wives  of 
Milo  Johnson,  who  lives  at  this  place. 

Then  the  next  morning,  so  as  to  travel  in  the  cool 
portion  of  the  day,  leaving  almost  at  daylight,  after  a 
hot  breakfast,  and  taking  her  lunch  with  her,  she 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  165 

crosses  the  ford  of  the  Jordan — the  river  that  runs 
from  the  fresh  lake  of  Utah  to  its  salt  inland  sea.  So 
coming  to  its  western  shore,  she  journeys  along  the 
banks  of  beautiful  Utah  Lake — placid  as  a  mirror — 
leaving  Ophir  and  Camp  Floyd  and  Tooele  far  to  her 
west. 

To  the  east,  across  the  limpid  waters,  she  notes, 
buried  in  their  orchards,  the  Mormon  towns  of  Provo, 
Springfield,  Payson,  and  Spanish  Fork.  Behind  them 
the  great  Wahsatch  range,  and,  further  to  the  south, 
the  great  mountain  that  they  call  "  Nebo,"  which  rises 
snow-capped,  dominating  the  scene. 

About  midway  down  the  west  side  of  the  lake,  she 
and  the  driver  of  the  carriage  eat  their  lunch.  Then 
proceeding  onward  till  almost  at  the  upper  end  of  this 
quiet  water,  she  leaves  its  banks,  and,  after  two  or 
three  miles  of  sage  brush,  enters  a  little  canon,  with  a 
brawling  stream  running  down  it.  Very  shortly  to  her 
comes  the  odor  of  garlic  and  arsenic  from  the  smelting 
works  at  Homansville,  whose  great  furnaces  she  soon 
sees,  giving  out  clouds  of  smoke. 

Passing  these,  three  miles  further  up  the  valley  she 
comes  to  Eureka.  Here,  making  inquiry  at  the  store 
of  Baxter  &  Butterfield,  she  is  directed  to  the  Zion's 
Co-operative  Mining  Institution,  whose  works  stand  a 
mile  or  more  beyond,  towards  Silver  City. 

So,  in  another  half  an  hour  Miss  Travenion,  turning 
from  the  main  road  and  driving  up  a  little  spur  of  the 
mountain,  past  one  or  two  dug-outs  and  miner's  cabins, 
gets  out  of  the  wagon  at  the  door  of  a  house  built  of 
rough  lumber,  and  says  nervously  to  a  man  in  high, 
muddy  boots  and  blue  shirt,  greasy  with  candle  drip- 
pings:  "Is  Bishop  Tranyon  in?" 

"  Yes,  he  is  in  the  back  room,"  and,  pointing  to  the 
door,  the  miner  goes  off  to  his  work. 

She  enters,  and  seated  upon  a  wooden  chair,  looking 


l66  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

over  some  accounts  at  a  deal  table,  is  the  man  they 
call  Bishop  Tranyon,  and  she  says  to  him  : — "  FATHER  !  " 

At  her  word,  Ralph  Travenion,  once  New  York 
exquisite,  now  Mormon  bishop,  staggers  up,  trembles, 
and,  gazing  on  her,  cries  :  "  Erma  !  my  God  !  You 
here  ?" 

Then,  forcing  back  some  awful  emotion,  his  voice 
grows  tender  as  he  says  :  "  Why,  this  is  a  surprise,  dar- 
ling !  You  have  travelled  all  the  way  from  New  York 
to  see  your  father.  God  bless  you,  child  of  my  heart !  " 
and  there  are  tears  in  his  deep  eyes,  and  he  would 
approach  her  and  put  his  arms  about  her,  giving  her  a 
father's  kiss. 

But  she  starts  from  him,  shudders,  and  gasps  :  "  Don't 
dare  to  kiss  me  !  " 

"  Why  not  ?  " 

"  Because  I  know  what  you  are" 

"  My  God  !  You  know — "  and  the  strong  man  turns 
from  her,  and  hides  his  face  in  his  quivering  hands. 

Then  she  goes  on,  faltering  a  little  over  the  words, 
but  still  goes  on  :  "  Why  have  you  disgraced  our  name? 
Why  have  you  become  a  Mormon — a  POLYGAMIST  ?" 

Here  he  astonishes  her  by  whispering,  with  white  lips, 
these  curious  words  :  "  I  did  it  that  I  might  settle  upon 
you  a  million  !  For  your  sake  I  became  Mormon — for 
your  sake  I  became  polygamist.  I  DID  IT  FOR 
BUSINESS  PURPOSES!" 


CHAPTER   XII. 

A    DAUGHTER    OF    THE    CHURCH. 

FOR  a  moment,  Erma  believes  this  extraordinary 
statement,  and  falters,  seeming  almost  to  invite  his 
caresses,  at  least  not  to  repulse  them. 

Seeing  this,  Ralph  Travenion  mutters,  "  Thank  God, 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  167 

you  believe  me  !  "  and  flies  to  take  her  in  his  arms  ;  but 
suddenly  her  dead  mother's  face  seems  to  the  girl  to 
rise  between  her  father  and  herself.  She  shudders, 
turns  away  from  him,  and  says  coldly  :  "  You  ask  me  to 
believe  this  monstrous  thing, — that  for  my  sake  you 
became  a  Mormon  ?  " 

"  Yes,  as  God  is  above  me  ! — to  make  you  rich, — to 
place  you  above  the  care  of  poverty, — to  surround  you 
with  luxury, — the  thing  that  has  been  my  one  thought 
in  life." 

"Was  that  your  thought?-"  cries  the  girl  suddenly, 
with  a  face  that  to  him  is  beautiful  as  an  angel's,  but 
just  as  that  of  the  angel's  God — "  was  that  your 
thought  when  you  entered  into  polygamous  marriage 
with  those  women  down  there  ?  Oh,  don't  attempt  to 
deny  it !  "  for  he  is  about  to  open  his  lips.  "  I  saw  two 
of  them.  I  was  at  the  Sunday-school  meeting  of  the 
Twenty-fifth  Ward,  and  beheld  your  hostages  to  your 
faith — five  little  ones,  I  believe.  One  of  them,  a  girl, 
Mr.  Oliver  Livingston  was  kind  enough  to  say,  looked 
like  me." 

To  this,  for  a  moment,  he  does  not  reply.  Then 
suddenly,  forcing  his  tongue  to  do  his  wish,  he  repeats  : 
"  For  your  sake  I  did  that  also  !  " 

"  For  my  sake  ? "  gasps  Erma,  astounded,  then  cries 
out  :  "  Absurd  !  Impossible  !  "  and  having  exhausted 
tears  two  days  before,  mocks  him  with  unbelieving 
laugh. 

"  As  God  is  above  me  !  " 

"  Prove  it !  " 

"  I  will !  "  And  so,  being  driven  to  his  defence,  and 
knowing  that  he  is  pleading  for  his  own  happiness — for 
this  child  of  his  other  life  is  to  Ralph  Travenion,  once 
club  man  of  New  York  City,  but  now  Mormon  bishop 
of  Salt  Lake,  the  thing  he  loves  best  in  this  world — he 
begins  to  tell  his  story,  earnestly,  as  a  man  struggling 


1 68  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

to  win  the  lost  respect  and  esteem  of  the  one  woman 
whose  respect  and  esteem  he  must  have, — pathetically, 
as  a  father  striving  to  keep  his  daughter's  love. 

His  voice  trembles  slightly  as  he  begins:  "In  New 
York,  Wall  Street  practically  ruined  me.  The  ample 
fortune  that  I  had  determined  to  devote  to  your 
happiness  and  your  life,  Erma,  my  daughter,  had 
passed  from  me.  I  had,  after  leaving  sufficient  for 
your  education,  but  a  few  thousand  dollars  to  take  with 
me  to  this  Western  world.  I  had  promised  my  old 
friend  to  settle  a  million  dollars  on  you,  so  that  if  he 
kept  his  contract  to  make  over  a  like  amount  to  his 
son,  you  could  wed  Oliver  Livingston  and  take  the 
place  in  New  York  society  to  which  you  had  been  born. 
To  keep  this  promise,  I  left  the  old  life  that  was  pleas- 
ant to  me,  and  came,  God  help  me,  to  this  !  "  He  looks 
about  the  bare  room,  with  its  rough  furniture,  its  un- 
carpeted  floor,  its  pioneer  discomfort,  and  out  through 
the  open  window  over  the  long  waste  that  covers  the 
West  Tintic  Valley.  And  she  looks  also,  and  sees  naught 
but  sagebrush,  unrelieved  save  by  a  few  floating  clouds 
of  dust  that,  thick  and  heavy,  mark  the  course  of  ore- 
teams  from  the  Scotia  mine,  making  their  hot  and 
alkaline  way  towards  the  furnaces  in  Homansville. 

Then  Ralph  iterates,  "  I  came  to  this  life  for  your 
sake,"  a  far-away  look  getting  into  his  eyes,  for  recol- 
lections of  his  old  club  life  and  the  friends  and  com- 
panions and  chums  of  other  days,  and  pretty  yachting 
excursions  on  the  Sound,  and  gay  opera  and  dinner 
parties  and  fetes  at  fashionable  Newport,  come  to  this 
exile. 

Noting  this,  some  idea  of  what  is  in  his  mind  comes 
also  to  his  daughter,  and  makes  her  tender  to  him,  and 
this  change  in  her  face  gives  him  courage. 

He  goes  on,  "  For  your  sake  I  did  this  !  " 

"  For  my  sake  it  was  not  necessary  to  be  a  Mormon." 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  169 

"  To  make  a  fortune  it  was  !  "  he  cries.  "  I  wandered 
about  the  Mississippi  for  a  year.  At  the  end  of  that 
time,  I  was  poorer  than  when  I  left  New  York.  St. 
Louis  and  Chicago  did  not  seem  to  me  a  quick  enough 
opportunity.  I  came  further  West.  I  had  a  wild  hope 
of  making  money  in  furs,  in  some  stage  line,  as  Indian 
trader,  but  found  no  chance,  and  so,  in  pursuit  of  one 
will-o'-the-wisp  and  another,  I  journeyed  on  until  I 
found  myself  in  Salt  Lake  City.  Here  I  saw  a  fortune 
for  a  man  of  ability.  The  Transcontinental  Tele- 
graph Company  was  building  its  line.  A  contract  to 
supply  them  with  telegraph  poles,  properly  handled, 
would  make  me  rich.  But  it  could  be  so  handled  only 
by  a  Mormon,  and  I  joined  the  Church  of  Latter-Day 
Saints, — a  stern  sect,  who  will  have  no  wavering  dis- 
ciples, no  half-way  apostates  in  its  ranks.  By  that 
contract  I  made  a  considerable  sum.  Then  the  build- 
ing of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway  came,  and  by  it  I 
made  a  fortune,  because  I  was  a  Mormon." 

"  A  Gentile  might  also  have  succeeded,"  suggests  his 
daughter. 

"  Impossible  !  As  a  Mormon,  and  only  as  a  Mormon, 
I  could  hire  thousands  of  Mormon  laborers  at  one 
dollar  and  fifty  cents  per  day, — and  pay  them  by  store 
orders  on  Zion's  Co-operative  Mercantile  Institution, 
who  liquidated  them  in  goods  at,  practically,  fifty  cents 
on  the  dollar.  Mormon  labor  cost  me  seventy-five 
cents  per  day  against  Gentile  labor  at  three  or  four 
dollars;  as  a  Latter- Day  Saint  I  could  command  the 
cheap  article.  That  is  why  I  joined  the  Mormon 
Church — for  your  fortune  and  your  happiness." 

"  Was  it  for  my  happiness  that  you  accepted  their  in- 
famous creed  for  the  degradation  of  my  sex — that  you 
entered  into  plural  marriage — that  you  are  now  sur- 
rounded by  children  of  polygamy  ? "  asks  the  girl,  a 
bitter  sarcasm  dominating  her  voice. 


170  MISS  DIVIDENDS. 

"  THAT  WAS  TO  SAVE  MY  LIFE  !  " 

"  To  save  your  life  ?     What  nonsense  !  " 

"  Hush  !  Listen  to  me  !  "  and  Ralph  Travenion  speaks 
very  low,  as  if  he  almost  feared  the  walls  would  hear 
him.  "  A  year  after  I  had  joined  it,  it  was  spoken  unto 
me  by  the  President  that  the  Church  doubted  my  sin- 
cerity because  I  had  not  entered  into  polygamy.  To 
be  doubted  in  those  days, — in  1865  and  '66, — meant  the 
atonement  of  blood,  such  as  was  carried  out  on  Almon, 
Babbitt  and  the  Parrishes — it  meant  being  cut  off  '  below 
the  ears.'  Had  I  died  here  then,  my  fortune  would  have 
never  been  accumulated  for  you.  You  would  not  now 
have  a  million  to  give  you  prestige, — to  give  you 
power, — to  make  you  reign  beauty  as  you  are.  You 
would  not  now  be  called  Miss  Dividends,"  and  the  old 
man  would  put  his  arms  about  his  daughter  to  caress 
her,  and  take  her  to  his  heart — for  her  loveliness  has 
made  him,  her  father,  very  proud. 

But  Erma  cries  to  him  hoarsely,  "  What  kind  of  a 
dividend  have  you  given  me  ?  The  dividend  of  shame  ! 
Society  shudders  and  turns  from  me.  The  Livingstons 
have  already  done  so." 

To  this  he  answers,  "  My  God,  what  do  you  mean  ? " 
sinking  upon  a  candle-box  that  does  duty  as  a  chair 
in  this  uncouth  department. 

"I  mean  this,"  cries  Erma,  "that  when  they  dis- 
covered that  I  was  the  daughter  of  a  Mormon,  that  I 
had  little  illegitimate  half-brothers  and  sisters,  they 
fled  from  me  as  if  I  were  tainted  and  left  me  to  the 
kindness  of  Bishop  Kruger." 

"  KRUGER  KNOWS  YOU  ARE  HERE  ?  "  This  is  a  wail  of 
anguish  from  Travenion  that  makes  his  daughter  start. 

She  answers  him,  though  the  old  man's  agitation 
frightens  her.  "  Certainly.  He  learnt  of  my  coming  in 
New  York,  and  returned  on  the  same  train  with  the 
Livingstons  and  myself  to  Salt  Lake  City.  He 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  171 

But  Erma  pauses,  astonished  and  horrified,  the 
effect  of  her  simple  words  upon  her  father  is  so  tre- 
mendous. 

He  is  wringing  his  hands  and  muttering,  "  They  have 
me  now.  My  heart  is  in  their  hands  ! "  Then  he  steps 
quickly  to  the  door,  and  she  hears  him  speak  to  the 
man  who  has  driven  her  from  Salt  Lake.  "  Take  your 
horses  to  the  stable  at  Eureka.  Feed  and  water  them 
and  be  ready  to  return  this  evening  at  seven  o'clock." 

"  I  don't  see  as  I  can,  bishop,"  answers  the  driver. 
"  The  team  won't  stand  it.  They  are  putty  nigh 
tuckered  out  now." 

"Then  be  ready  to-morrow  morning,"  he  says  hur- 
riedly, and  returns  to  the  room  where  Erma  still  sits, 
and  sighs  to  himself,  "  I  don't  suppose  it  would  be 
much  use.  If  they  know  you  are  here,  they  know  that 
they  have  my  heart  in  their  hands." 

"  Your  heart  in  their  hands  ?  What  do  you  mean  by 
that  ? "  whispers  the  young  lady. 

"  I  mean  you  !  You  are  my  heart, — YOU.  My  darling  ! 
My  pet !  My  treasure  !  Who  has  put  peril  upon  herself 
because  she  loved  her  old  papa  !  "  and  before  she  can 
prevent  it,  he  has  her  in  his  arms  and  is  pressing  her  to 
his  heart,  and  caressing  her,  and  crying  over  her  the 
tears  of  a  strong  man  in  his  extremity. 

And  now  she  struggles  not,  for  his  kisses  bring  re- 
membrance of  his  other  kisses  in  happier  days,  in  far- 
away New  York,  when  she  has  looked  for  his  coming 
at  her  school,  and  afterwards  as  a  young  lady  has 
flown  to  this  heart,  that  she  knows  has  always  beat  for 
her. 

After  a  moment,  his  agitation  and  words  make  her 
ask,  "  What  latent  danger  is  there  to  me  ? " 

"Nothing  immediate,"  he  answers.  "Perhaps  none 
at  all — perhaps  I  am  a  fool ;  for  in  1871  there  are  many 
Gentiles  in  this  Territory,  and  United  States  troops  at 


172  MISS    DIVIDENDS. 

Camp  Douglas.  But  I  remember  !  And  the  thought  of 
what  once  was,  makes  me  fear  what  may  now  be."  Then 
he  says  suddenly  and  impressively,  as  if  some  new  idea 
alarmed  him,  "  Tell  me  about  your  trip  from  New  York. 
Omit  no  details.  Minutice  may  mean  safety  for  us  both. 
But  first —  And  it  now  being  the  dusk  of  the  evening, 
he  illuminates  the  room  with  the  flicker  of  a  coal-oil 
lamp  and  the  yellow  glow  of  a  tallow  dip,  and  places 
her  very  tenderly  on  the  only  chair  in  the  room. 

Seated  on  this,  she  tells  him  her  story,  he  interrupt- 
ing her  now  and  then  to  ask  pertinent  questions,  most 
of  them  in  regard  to  the  actions  of  Kruger.  And  get- 
ting answers  that  he  doesn't  like,  he  seems  to  grow 
more  despondent  the  more  her  words  indicate  the  Mor- 
mon bishop  has  taken  interest  in  her  movements. 

But  as  she  tells  about  Harry  Lawrence,  and  the 
trouble  the  injunction  on  his  mine  has  brought  upon 
the  young  man,  the  old  man's  eyes  gleam  and  he 
chuckles :  "  Yes,  I  rather  think  I  have  put  that  bantam 
into  a  business  hole  he  won't  get  out  of  !  " 

He  seems  so  happy  and  so  triumphant  over  this  affair, 
that  Erma,  his  daughter  as  she  is,  almost  hates  him. 

This  brings  her  to  her  contribution  to  Harry's  bank 
account,  to  defeat  Bishop  Tranyon  of  Salt  Lake  and 
Zion's  Co-operative  Mining  Institution,  and  telling  this 
with  some  embarrassment  and  pauses  and  blushes,  she 
notes  her  father's  face  grow  long  and  his  features 
puzzled. 

Then,  as  she  describes  her  visit  to  the  Twenty-fifth 
Ward  meeting,  and  Oliver  Livingston's  treatment  of  her 
after  his  discovery  that  she  is  the  daughter  of  a  polyg- 
amist,  he  mutters  sadly  :  "  To  see  you  married  to  Living- 
ston— a  man  of  your  own  rank  and  place  in  New  York 
society — has  been  the  hope  of  my  old  age  !  " 

Here  the  girl  astonishes  him.  She  answers  :  "  Had 
you  been  the  greatest  saint  this  earth  has  ever  seen, 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  173 

Oliver  Livingston  would  never  have  had  me  for  his 
wife.  Besides  " — and  she  laughs  airily — "  I  could  have 
Mr.  Ollie  back  at  my  side  in  a  week.  He  loves  my 
million  well  enough  to  take  me  for  it." 

"  Then  bring  him  back  !  " 

"  Never  ! " 

"  Never  !     Why  not  ? "     This  last  almost  savagely. 

"  Because  /  will  not  marry  him  !  " 

There  is  an  enthusiasm  and  determination  in  the  girl's 
manner  that  makes  this  gentleman — who  is  well  accus- 
tomed to  reading  men,  and  perhaps  has  had  some  expe- 
rience, in  his  plural  marriages,  of  women — suddenly  cry 
out  :  "  No,  you  will  not  wed  Livingston  because  you 
love  another  ! " 

"  Who  is  that  ? "  says  the  girl,  attempting  a  laugh, 
but  her  face  becoming  very  red  in  the  dim  light  of 
flickering  tallow  and  kerosene  oil. 

"  Harry  Lawrence,  who  hates  Bishop  Tranyon  of 
Salt  Lake  so  much  that  I  hardly  think  he  will  marry 
the  daughter  of  Ralph  Travenion  of  New  York ! " 
returns  her  father  easily. 

But  Erma  does  not  answer  this.  She  has  turned 
away  to  the  window,  and  is  looking  down  the  hill  and 
over  the  alkaline  plains,  and  her  blushes  are  only  seen 
by  a  jack-rabbit  who  peers  at  her  from  behind  a  sage 
bush. 

Then  she  faces  her  father  and  cries  :  "  No  matter 
what  comes,  you  shall  do  justice  to  Harry  Lawrence  ! 
You  shall  withdraw  your  claim  to  his  property  !  " 

"  Oh  ho  !  "  laughs  the  Mormon.  "  Give  up  what  I 
am  on  the  point  of  winning?  Bishop  Tranyon  of  Salt 
Lake  will  never  do  that.  That  is  not  his  style." 

"  No,"  cries  the  girl  ;  "  but  my  father,  Ralph  Tra- 
venion, of  New  York,  who  was  once  worthy  the  love  of 
all  who  knew  him,  will  do  justice  to  a  wronged  man, 
because  he  still  loves  the  daughter  who  has  travelled 


174  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

over  two  thousand  miles  to  meet  him  here,  and  who  he 
says  has  brought  peril  upon  herself,  for  love  of  him  !  " 
And  looking  on  him,  her  eyes  grow  soft  and  tender 
as  they  used  to  gaze  at  him  when  she  was  proud  of  him 
at  party  and  fete  in  far-away  New  York,  as  she  mur- 
murs :  "What  will  Ralph  Travenion  do  for  his  daugh- 
ter ?" 

"  For  his  daughter's  sake,  Ralph  Travenion  will  do 
anything  !  "  mutters  the  old  man  ;  then  says  patheti- 
cally, almost  brokenly  :  "  For  God's  sake,  give  me 
one  kiss  of  your  own  will  !  You  have  spoken  to  me 
an  hour,  and  as  yet  no  daughter's  kiss  !  " 

With  that  the  girl  comes  to  him,  puts  her  arms 
about  him,  and  kisses  him,  as  she  used  to  when  she 
was  a  child,  and  before  she  knew  he  was  a  Mormon 
and  a  polygamist. 

"  Do  with  me  what  you  will !"  he  continues.  "What 
do  you  want  for  this  young  man,  who  I  can  see  is  get- 
ting the  first  place  in  your  heart  ? " 

"  Justice  !  "  cries  Erma.  "  I  want  you  to  telegraph 
your  lawyer  to  stipulate  that  the  injunction  on  his 
mine  be  removed." 

"  And  what  more  ?  " 

"  Resign  your  claim  to  his  property." 

"  But  Kruger  also  owns  stock  in  the  Zion  Co-operative 
Mining  Institution." 

"  Buy  his  stock  !  " 

"  Very  well,  though  you  are  robbing  yourself  !  " 
mutters  the  man.  "  I'll  do  it  ! — if — if  you'll  forgive 
me." 

"I'll  forgive  you,  if  you'll  let  me  lead  you  away 
from  this  awful  place — away  from  sin  !  "  cries  Erma. 

But  here  he  astonishes  and  horrifies  her,  for  he  whis- 
pers to  her  :  "  Yes,  if  we  can  get  away  alive!  " 

"  What  is  to  stop  us  ? "  falters  the  young  lady. 

Before    answering  her,    Ralph    takes    up  the    light, 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  175 

walks  into  the  other  room,  examines  it ;  goes  up  the 
ladder,  into  the  loft  overhead,  and  finally  inspects  the 
outside  of  the  house;  then  he  returns,  saying:  "No 
one  is  within  hearing  !  "  comes  up  to  her,  and  whis- 
pers : 

"  The  Mormon  Church  !  " 

"What  authority  has  the  Mormon  Church  over 
me  ? "  asks  the  young  lady,  raising  her  voice  a  little. 

"  Hush  !  Not  so  loud  !  "  he  returns.  "  The  Mor- 
mon Church  claims  authority  over  the  children,  by 
virtue  of  their  authority  over  the  parent.  In  ordinary 
cases  they  perhaps  would  not  at  this  late  date  exercise 
it,  but  in  my  case  it  is  different.  I  am  so  prominent. 
They  know  to  lose  me  would  be  a  blow  to  them.  At 
present  they  have  lost  several  rich  members,  and  they 
are  desperate  !  And  I " — here  his  lips  approach  her 
ear,  and  form  rather  than  say  the  words — his  voice  is 
so  low,  his  lips  so  trembling — "and  I  have  been 
making  arrangements  to  apostatize  !  " 

"  God  bless  you  for  that !  "  cries  Erma. 

To  this  he  whispers  :  "You  don't  suppose  that  I  ever 
swallowed  the  dogmas  of  Joe  Smith,  which  I  preached 
as  Mormon  bishop  ?  I  joined  them  to  desert  them  the 
moment  I  had  made  what  money  I  wanted  out  of  these 
Latter-Day  Saints  !  "  And,  forgetting  himself,  he  gives 
out  two  or  three  jeering  scoffs.  But  the  next  moment 
his  face  grows  frightened,  and  he  mutters  :  "  I  have 
been  " — his  voice  is  very  low  again — "  making  arrange- 
ments to  withdraw  all  my  property  from  this  Territory. 
I  have  now  in  New  York,  besides  the  million  settled  on 
you,  a  very  large  sum  of  money  ;  but  I  have  also  such  a 
block  of  stock  of  the  Utah  Central  Railway  that,  if  I  sell 
it  to  the  right  parties,  the  Mormon  Church  will  lose 
control  of  the  road  ;  that  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to 
remove.  But  they  suspect  me  !  "  he  goes  on  dolefully. 
"  I  have  been  asked  to  immediately  pay  my  tithing, 


176  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

which  they  figure  at  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  for 
this  year,  claiming  that  I  have  made  a  million.  I  have 
hidden  the  stock  and  I  was  about  to  refuse,  but  your 
coming  here  has  made  that,  I  fear,  impossible." 

Then  he  wrings  his  hands,  and  says  :  "  When  an  apos- 
tate is  cut  off,  he  is  destroyed — root  and  branch.  The 
family  suffer  as  well  as  the  man,  and  you — and  you, 
Erma — YOU  !  " 

"  Your  stock  !    Is  it  near  here  ? "  asks  the  girl  eagerly. 

"  Certainly."  Here  he  whispers  to  her  :  "  In  case  of 
anything  happening  to  me,  it  is  hidden  in  the  level 
running  from  Shaft  No.  2  in  the  mine,  on  this  hillside. 
It  is  in  a  tin  box  under  the  fourth  set  of  timbers  to  the 
right  of  the  incline.  Remember  it !  " 

"  Why  not  take  it  ?  Leave  to-night — fly  on  horse- 
back." 

"Where?" 

"  To  the  Pacific  Railroad." 

He  laughs  grimly,  and  taking  her  to  the  window, 
cries  :  "  This  is  a  fine  country  to  get  out  of  !  "  Then 
he  points  over  the  sage  brush  and  explains :  "  To  the 
west  is  the  Tintic  Valley — thirty  miles  of  alkali ;  but, 
beyond  it,  hills  and  one  spring  ;  then  one  hundred  miles 
of  desert,  burning  sand,  and  no  water  that  man  or 
beast  can  drink.  Could  we  travel  over  that  and  live  to 
reach  the  railroad  ?  To  the  south, — Mormon  settle- 
ments on  the  Servier  River — Beaver,  Parowan,  the  very 
hot-bed  of  Mormonism.  Beyond  them,  Lee's  Ferry  on 
the  Colorado  !  "  And  he  shudders  as  he  mentions  the 
name  of  John  D.  Lee,  not  as  yet  sacrificed  by  the  Mor- 
mon Church,  for  whom  he  murdered  one  hundred  and 
thirty-three  men,  women,  and  children,  at  Mountain 
Meadows.  "  After  Lee's  Ferry,  deserts  and  the  Apache. 
To  the  east,  Mormon  settlements — Santaquin,  Nephi, 
Juab,  Manti — and,  back  of  them,  the  impassable  desert- 
plateaus  and  mountain  ranges  of  the  Rockies — mighty 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  177 

rivers  that  foam  through  gorges  thousands  of  feet  deep 
— and  Ute  Indians  !  " 

"  But  to  the  north,  father — the  way  I  came — hardly 
one  hundred  miles  ! " 

"  That  is  our  only  path,"  mutters  the  man.  Then  he 
says,  doubtingly  :  "  But  still  all  Mormon.  We  may 
never  reach  Salt  Lake  City." 

"Who'll  stop  us?" 

"  That  will  never  be  known  !  But  it  is  our  one 
chance,  and,  once  in  Salt  Lake,  I  think  they  dare  not 
touch  me.  I'll  make  arrangements  to  take  you  up  to- 
morrow. Come  with  me  now  to  the  hotel." 

"Why  cannot  I  stay  with  you?" 

"  Humph  ! "  he  laughs.  "  The  hotel  is  better  than 
this.  There  is  only  one  bed  here.  Besides,  some 
one  would  say,"  he  chuckles  rather  grimly,  "  Bishop 
Tranyon  has  taken  another  wife  !  And  I  do  not  wish  it 
to  be  generally  known  you  are  my  daughter.  Then, 
too,  I  have  a  telegram  to  send." 

"  Oh,  yes  !  "  cries  the  girl,  "  for  Captain  Lawrence  !  " 
And  she  accompanies  him  down  the  trail  that  winds  to 
the  road  coming  from  Silver  City  to  Eureka. 

So,  in  about  half  an  hour,  Miss  'Travenion  finds 
herself  seated  at  a  comfortable  supper  in  the  hotel. 
And  some  time  after — her  father  having  gone  off  to 
send  the  promised  telegram — being  very  tired,  she  goes 
up  to  her  room,  where  she  finds  a  clean  cot  bed,  and 
goes  to  rest,  thinking :  "  If  my  life  is  ruined,  his  life  has 
been,  perhaps,  made  more  happy  by  this  day's  work — 
he  will  be  rich." 

So,  pondering  of  the  absent  man,  who  is  not  yet  her 
lover,  yet  whom  she  now  knows  she  loves,  she  mur- 
murs :  "  He  will  come  here  to  put  men  at  work  once 
more  upon  his  mine  ;  he  will  learn  that  I  am  the  daughter 
of  Tranyon,  the  Mormon  bishop !  "  and  shudders  and 
writhes  at  the  thought.  Next  she  says  more  hopefully  : 

12 


178  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

"  Perhaps  when  he  finds  his  property  his  own  once 
more  he  will  not  hate  the  Mormon  bishop  so  much  as 
he  did  yesterday,"  and  this  seems  to  comfort  her  a  little, 
for  she  goes  to  sleep. 

Early  next  morning,  Erma  is  awakened  by  her 
father's  sharp  knock  upon  the  door.  He  whispers  to 
her :  "  Quick  !  You  must  be  ready  to  start  soon  !  " 

But,  a  few  minutes  after,  coming  into  the  hall,  she 
hears  :  "  Wall,  bishop,  did  Miss  Ermie  arrive  all  right  ? 
I  saw  her  off  in  good  style,  and  I've  come  down  here, 
first  to  look  after  the  mine,  and  then  to  consult  ye  on 
some  church  business.  What  a  beautiful  lamb  of  Zion 
your  darter  is  !  " 

It  is  the  voice  of  Kruger,  the  Mormon  !  And  Miss 
Travenion  grows  pale  as  marble,  for  she  knows  that 
the  Church  of  Latter-Day  Saints  has  its  eye  on  Tran- 
yon,  its  bishop,  and  Erma,  his  daughter,  last  season's 
prize-beauty  in  New  York  society,  and  Newport's  latest 
summer  craze ;  but  now  regarded  by  the  Prophet 
Brigham  and  his  Council  of  Seventy,  as  one  of  the  elect 
of  Zion,  whom  God  has  given  into  their  hands  to  save, 
or  lose — to  elect,  or  to  cut  off,  even  unto  the  atonement 
of  blood. 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  179 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE    LOVE    OF    A    BISHOP. 

THE  very  telegram  Erma  thinks  may  bring  Harry 
Lawrence  to  her  side,  curiously  enough  keeps  him  from 
her. 

It  comes  about  in  two  little  episodes — one  of  sorrow, 
one  of  joy. 

On  the  day  Miss  Travenion  left  Salt  Lake  City,  at 
eleven  o'clock,  the  young  man  calls  at  the  Townsend 
House,  to  keep  the  appointment  Erma  has  made  for 
him  with  her  father.  He  comes  up  to  the  office  of 
that  hotel,  rather  light-hearted,  considering  his  desper- 
ate straits  financially.  He  is  about  to  see  the  girl  he 
loves — she  who,  in  wild  moments,  since  her  generosity 
of  yesterday,  he  thinks  may  have  some  interest  in  him  ; 
for  otherwise  why  should  she  take  such  pains  to  have 
him  see  her  father  ? 

He  asks  lightly  :  "  Is  Miss  Travenion  in?" 

"  Miss  Travenion  has  gone,"  says  the  clerk,  a  little 
curtly,  for  the  sudden  departure  of  the  Livingstons  has 
not  altogether  pleased  the  hotel  office. 

"  And  the  Livingstons — "  asks  Lawrence,  hurriedly. 

"The  whole  party  went  to  California  this  morning 
at  five  o'clock,  on  the  Ogden  train,"  answers  the  youth 
behind  the  counter  indifferently,  for  Mormon  hotel 
clerks  are  quite  often  as  careless  as  Gentile  hotel 
clerks. 

After  a  moment  of  blank  astonishment,  Harry  sug- 
gests :  "Any  letter  for  Captain  Lawrence?" 

"  Yes,"  replies  the  clerk,  and  hands  him  an  envelope, 
the  feminine  handwriting  on  which  he  knows,  and  it 
gives  back  to  him  hope, — for  one  moment.  Stepping 
aside  a  little,  he  opens  it  ;  and  the  sun,  shining  so 


l8o  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

brilliantly  this  bright  October  day,  goes  out  of  the 
heavens — for  him.  For  he  sees  a  lady's  visiting  card 
which  looks  like  this  : 


Crushing  the  fragile  pasteboard  in  his  hand,  his  mous- 
tache twitches  with  pain,  and  he  mutters  bitterly: 
"  Oliver  Livingston  was  right !  My  darling  has  seen 
her  father  ;  he  wishes  her  to  still  wed  that  washed-out 
aristocrat  !  " 

A  minute  after  he  thinks  :  "  She  wished  to  bid  me 
good-bye,  also  !  Did  she  do  it  easily  ? "  and  inspects 
the  card  he  has  almost  thrown  away,  to  see  if  the 
handwriting  shows  emotion  in  its  lines.  Doing  this, 
a  little  hope  comes  to  him,  for  he  sees  a  splash  such  as 
a  tear-drop  might  make  upon  the  delicate  tint  of  the 
cardboard. 

Putting  the  missive  away  reverently  in  his  pocket- 
book,  he  meditates,  and  reason  tells  him  he  has  lost 
her.  It  says  to  him,  She  is  not  of  your  class  and  people. 
Her  father  wishes  her  to  wed  in  her  station,  among  the 
exclusives  of  Fifth  Avenue  and  Murray  Hill,  and  she 
obeys  him.  What  are  you  that  you  should  hope  for  her  ? 
If  your  mine  was  sold  and  you  had  nearly  five  hundred 
thousand  dollars  in  your  pocket,  you  might  make  an 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  l8l 

effort  to  win  this  butterfly,  who  has  come  into  your 
mannish  frontier  life  to  make  it  brilliant  for  a  day  or 
two.  You  were  happy  before  you  saw  her  ;  be  so  with- 
out her  ! 

To  this  he  cries,  resolution  fighting  against  convic- 
tion and  common  sense  :  "  No  more  joy  for  me  with- 
out her  !  I'll  win  her  yet  !  "  and  goes  on  his  way  to 
see  his  lawyers  about  getting  the  injunction  on  his 
mine  removed. 

But  his  attorneys,  Messrs.  Parshall  &  Garter,  do  not 
give  him  very  much  hope  of  immediate  success,  and 
common  sense  is  a  very  hard  party  to  down  in  argument ; 
consequently  Harry  Lawrence  makes  a  very  sombre 
day  of  it,  and  a  more  sombre  night. 

Two  days  after,  however,  cometh  joy.  He  is  in  his 
lawyers'  offices,  trying  to  think  if  any  one  in  this  wide 
world  will  go  on  his  bond  to  raise  the  injunction  that 
paralyzes  him  financially,  when  Garter  comes  excitedly 
in,  and  slapping  him  on  the  back,  cries  enthusiastically  : 
"  Here's  luck  for  Harry  Lawrence.  I've  just  received 
a  stipulation  from  Judge  Smith,  Zion's  Co-operative 
Mining  Co.'s  attorney,  agreeing  to  raise  your  injunc- 
tion !  " 

"  Impossible  !  " 

"  Fact !  " 

"  What  reason  did  Smith  give  for  this  curious  con- 
cession ? " 

"  Nothing  ;  only  that  Tranyon  telegraphed  instruc- 
tions to  that  effect  last  night,  and  he  thought  there  must 
be  a  mistake  and  had  wired  asking  reasons  ;  that  Tran- 
yon had  replied,  his  only  reason  was  that  he  wished  it, 
and  was  going  to  have  it  done.  Smith  thinks  the  Mor- 
mon bishop  has  gone  crazy.  However,  I've  got  the 
stipulation  and  you  can  go  to  work  to-morrow,"  answers 
Garter,  showing  to  Harry  Lawrence's  wondering  eyes 
the  document. 


1 82  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

That  day  he  begins  arrangements  for  his  return  to 
Tintic,  but  he  has  a  great  deal  to  do  and  many  mining 
supplies  to  order  and  ship,  and  this  delays  him.  The 
Sunday  intervenes.  But  Monday,  hurrying  his  prepara- 
tions, he  is  ready  to  start  so  as  to  make  half  the  drive 
that  day,  and  is  even  in  his  buckboard,  ready  to  leave, 
when  Garter  himself  comes,  out  of  breath,  to  stop  him, 
crying  :  "  I've  got  more  good  news  for  you.  My  boy, 
you're  rich !"  and  slaps  Lawrence  heartily  on  the 
back. 

"  Rich  ! "  echoes  Harry.  Then  he  goes  on  more 
slowly,  a  lump  coming  suddenly  into  his  throat,  "  What 
do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  What  I  say  !  You're  rich.  I  have  within  the  hour 
received  from  Tranyon  a  quit-claim  deed  to  you  of  the 
Mineral  Hill  locations  from  the  Zion's  Co-operative  Min- 
ing Co.  of  Tintic.  Look  !  "  cries  Garter,  and  displays 
the  document. 

"  It  can't  be  so  !  "  gasps  Lawrence. 

"  It  is — and  what's  more,  the  deed's  in  proper  form. 
It  arrived  by  special  messenger  from  Eureka,  with  a 
note  from  Bishop  Tranyon,  saying  that  on  careful  ex- 
amination of  the  matter,  he  had  concluded  that  the 
location  was  properly  yours." 

"  How  do  you  explain  it  ? "  asks  Harry,  who  can't 
believe. 

"  Well,"  replies  Garter,  "  Tranyon  writes  that  he  is 
moved  by  love  of  Zion  to  discontinue  the  suit — but  I 
think  it  was  fear  of  Parshall  &  Garter,"  goes  on  the 
modest  Western  lawyer.  "  The  bishop  heard  you  had 
engaged  us.  Anyway,  your  title  to  your  Mineral  Hill 
Mine  is  without  contest.  It's  as  clear  as  mine  to  my 
caput." 

"  Then  the  Mineral  Hill's  as  good  as  sold  to  the  Eng- 
lish company.  The  deed's  in  escrow  in  Wells,  Fargo 
&  Co.'s.  Telegraph  Southmead  in  New  York,  and  get 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  183 

the  cash  as  soon  as  you  can  for  me,  Garter,"  answers 
Lawrence.  "  I  leave  town  this  afternoon.  I've  other 
business  to  attend  to  !  "  his  face  lighting  up  with  some- 
thing that  it  has  not  had  in  it  since  he  read  Erma 
Travenion's  card. 

"  You  go  to  Tintic,  I  suppose,"  asks  the  lawyer, 
as  he  gives  Lawrence  a  farewell  grip  of  congratula- 
tion. 

"  No  !  to  San  Francisco,"  is  the  answer,  and  leaving 
the  astounded  Garter  gazing  at  him,  Harry  drives 
straight  to  his  bank,  cashes  a  check,  and  just  catches 
the  afternoon  train  for  Ogden. 

Arriving  at  this  place,  and  walking  over  from  the 
Utah  Central  to  the  junction  depot,  Lawrence  is 
greeted  suddenly  and  heartily  by,  "  How  are  you,  Cap  ?  " 
and  looking  up,  sees  Buck  Powers. 

"  How  are  you,  Buck  ?  Doing  pretty  well  ?  "  he  re- 
marks heartily  to  this  youth. 

"  First  rate  !  The  news  company  made  a  kick  about 
dat  collection  Miss  Beauty  took  up  for  me.  Dey 
wanted  half  of  it,  but  I  stood  them  off,"  returns  Buck 
in  explanation.  Then  he  continues  suddenly,  "Say, 
boss,  she  was  here  four  days  ago." 

"Ah  !  you  saw  her  ?  "  asks  Harry  eagerly. 

"  No — I  was  on  de  road — but  that  cripple  Mormon 
who  sells  newspapers  told  me  dat  de  whole  swell  Liv- 
ingston outfit  went  West  on  the  Central,  Thursday." 

This  information  is  what  Lawrence  has  expected  ;  he 
goes  into  the  office  and  gets  his  sleeping  berth,  Buck 
Powers  greeting  this  transaction  with  a  sly  wink  and 
a  sotto  voce  remark  :  "  I  guessed  you  wouldn't  be  long 
after  her.  You  knows  the  purtiest  girl  as  ever  come 
over  the  road,  you  do,  Cap." 

.So  at  six  in  the  evening,  Harry  Lawrence,  his  pulse 
bounding  with  revivified  hope,  his  eyes  sparkling  with 
eagerness,  his  heart  filled  with  a  great  love,  is  speeding 


MISS    DIVIDENDS. 


towards  the  Pacific  in  pursuit  of  the  girl  he  has  sworn 
shall  be  his  and  no  other's :  while  every  throb  of  the 
locomotive  that  he  fondly  thinks  brings  him  nearer 
to  her,  bears  him  away  from  Erma  Travenion. 


And  she  upon  whom  his  thoughts  are,  is  sitting  by 
the  side  of  the  mine  cabin,  looking  over  the  sage  brush 
plain  of  the  West  Tintic  Valley,  and  listening  to  the 
low  murmur  of  her  father's  and  Kruger's  voices  coming 
to  her  through  the  open  doorway,  and  thinking :  "  Harry 
has  the  news  now. — To-morrow  he  will  be  here  to  work 
his  mine. — To-morrow  he  will  learn  what  I  have  done 
for  him. — To-morrow  he  will  know  I  am  Tranyon's 
daughter. — Will  he  be  generous  enough  to  forget  my 
father's  shame  ?"  Then  she  sighs  :  "  These  are  curious 
thoughts  for  me,  whom  they  called  a  belle  at  Newport 
six  weeks  ago — '  Miss  Dividends,'  whose  bonds  have 
made  her  the  bond-maiden  of  the  Mormon  Church  !  " 
And  mocking  herself  with  these  jeering  words,  Erma 
Travenion  goes  in  to  meet  Bishop  Kruger  and  treat  him 
with  respect,  if  not  cordiality — for  now  she  fears  him, 
not  altogether  for  her  father's  sake  but  for  her  own,  for 
in  the  last  four  days  she  has  grown  to  feel  that  Kruger, 
Mormon  fanatic  and  bishop,  has  an  interest  in  her  that 
is  not  all  for  Mother  Church. 

This  idea  has  entered  the  young  lady's  mind,  not 
from  one  but  from  several  incidents. 

Immediately  after  hearing  Lot's  voice  on  the  morn- 
ing of  his  arrival,  her  father  had  come  to  her  and 
hurriedly  whispered,  "  Not  a  word  to  Kruger  of  our 
leaving.  Flight  would  now  be  useless  if  they  mean  to 
stop  us." 

"  But  where  shall  we  go  ? "  asks  the  girl  anxiously, 

"  Nowhere  !  We  are  safest  here  for  the  present,"  re- 
plies Travenion.  Then,  seeing  astonishment  in  Erma's 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  185 

mobile  face,  he  continues,  "  This  and  the  other  mining 
camps  are  chiefly  Gentile.  Here  we  would  be  protected 
by  the  hardy  men  who  have  come  in  from  California, 
Nevada  and  Colorado.  It  is  in  travelling  through  the 
farming  settlements  that  our  trouble  will  come  to  us. 
I  have  told  him,"  he  indicates  by  a  gesture  Mr.  Kruger, 
who  is  looking  to  the  comfort  of  his  team  outside,  "that 
you  will  remain  with  me  here  for  some  weeks.  As  you 
love  me  and  yourself,  do  not  arouse  his  suspicions." 

"You  may  trust  me,"  whispers  his  daughter  earnestly, 
for  her  father's  manner  is  very  impressive. 

A  few  minutes  after  they  are  all  at  breakfast  together, 
Kruger  greeting  Miss  Travenion  in  a  more  familiar  and 
off-hand  manner  than  he  has  so  far  assumed  to  her, 
saying,  "  Wall,  Sissy,  did  your  dad  look  natural  as 
a  miner  ?  Stoggie  boots  aren't  quite  as  nice  as  patent- 
leathers,  and  flannel  shirts  ain't  quite  so  high-falutin'  as 
b'iled  ones,  but  he's  daddy  all  the  same,  ain't  he  ?  "  Then, 
chuckling  at  his  own  remark,  he  prevents  reply  by  turn- 
ing to  Travenion  and  saying,  "Bishop,  she's  too  likely 
a  gal  to  let  go  out  agin  to  the  ranks  of  the  unrighteous. 
You  ought  to  persuade  her  to  take  her  endowments." 

"  Pooh  ! "  answers  Ralph  lightly.  "  Erma  is  too  de- 
vout an  Episcopalian  for  me  to  hope  to  convert  her." 
But  Miss  Travenion  notes  her  father  suffers  at  the  mere 
suggestion  that  she,  whom  he  loves  and  honors,  should 
be  even  mentioned  in  connection  with  this  sect  of  which 
he  is  bishop  and  apostle. 

The  next  second  Travenion  has  changed  the  subject, 
saying,  "  I'm  glad  you've  come  down,  Lot  ;  otherwise  I 
should  have  had  to  write  to  you  about  our  mine." 

"  Indeed  !  What's  new  since  we  fixed  them  Gentiles 
with  an  injunction?"  asks  Kruger,  easily. 

"  Come  up  to  the  shaft  and  see,"  replies  Ralph. 
Then  he  says  to  his  daughter  :  "  You  won't  mind  a 
little  walk  ? " 


186  MISS    DIVIDENDS. 

"  No,"  answers  the  young  lady.  "  In  this  Tintic  air  I 
feel  as  if  I  could  climb  mountains." 

"  Wall,  ye  can  find  plenty  of  mountains  round  here 
to  climb  !  "  laughs  Lot. 

So  they  all  come  out  of  the  hotel  into  the  main  and 
only  street  of  this  mining  camp — where  many  of  the 
men  look  with  by  no  means  kindly  eyes  on  the  two 
Mormon  bishops,  for  Tranyon's  injunction  has  closed 
Lawrence's  mine,  which  promised  to  develop  into  a  great 
property  which  would  furnish  lots  of  work  for  the 
"  boys."  But  on  seeing  the  young  lady  who  accompa- 
nies the  two  apostles,  the  hats  and  caps  of  the  delvers 
after  gold  and  silver  come  off  with  that  respect  for 
all  women,  young  or  old,  beautiful  or  plain-faced,  that 
the  miners  of  the  Pacific  have  since  "  Forty-nine,"  when 
in  California  they  learned  to  value  sweethearts  and 
wives,  because  they  had  none.  A  chivalry  they  have 
not  yet — thank  God — forgotten. 

But  aside  from  her  womanhood,  Erma's  beauty  is  so 
overpowering  to  these  gentlemen  of  the  pick  and  drill 
that  they  would  follow  her,  were  it  polite,  and  one  Pat- 
sey  Bolivar  remarks  :  "  Good  Lord,  if  she's  a  Mormon, 
she  must  be  the  angel  that  brings  Brigham  his  revela- 
tions from  Heaven."  To  this  another,  Pioche  George, 
answers  :  "  She  ain't  no  Mormon  girl — she's  a  lady  and 
wears  high-heeled  boots  and  has  a  back-action  panier 
that  comes  from  Par/<?." 

After  a  little  they  are  out  of  the  town,  and  leaving 
the  road,  make  up  the  hill  for  the  mining  shaft ;  and 
Kruger,  walking  behind,  notices  the  tender  care  with 
which  Travenion  assists  his  daughter  over  the  rough 
places  in  the  trail,  and  is  rather  surprised  at  it,  for 
Mormons,  as  a  rule,  have  but  little  consideration  and 
less  respect  for  their  womankind,  the  very  doctrines  of 
their  polygamous  church  preventing  that — though  he 
remembers  Tranyon  has  been  considered  a  light  hand 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  187 

with  his  wives,  leaving  them  a  good  deal  to  themselves, 
and  not  exacting  any  great  account  of  their  outgoings 
and  incomings. 

While  pondering  upon  this,  and  noticing  the  light 
grace  of  the  girl  as  she  steps  from  rock  to  rock  in  the 
trail,  and  the  beauty  of  every  movement  and  poise  of 
her  figure,  he  suddenly  thinks:  "It's  right  lucky  Ermie 
ain't  been  seen  up  at  the  Lion  House  !  The  prophet 
would  have  been  having  '  revealing  from  Heaven  '  that 
she  was  to  be  sealed  to  him." 

A  moment  after,  as  Miss  Travenion  ethereally  springs 
over  a  small  tree  that  has  fallen  across  the  path,  this 
Mormon  gentleman  suddenly  exclaims  to  himself  : 
"  Great  Enoch  !  They  would  have  cost  in  our  co-op. 
up  in  Heber  nigh  onto  five  dollars  a  pair  in  farm 
produce.  I'll  see  if  Miss  Highfalutin"  will  wear  silk 
stockings  when " 

He  doesn't  complete  this  sentence,  though  it  produces 
a  very  definite  idea — though  a  wild  one — in  his  mind  : 
for  what  was  to  him  an  "  IF,"  as  he  looked  upon  the 
rare  loveliness  of  Miss  Travenion,  the  Newport  butter- 
fly, on  the  Union  Pacific  train,  has  become  to  this  Mor- 
mon fanatic  a  "  WHEN,"  now  she  is  in  the  valley  of 
Tintic,  the  daughter  of  a  Mormon  bishop — cut  off  from 
Gentile  friends  and  surroundings. 

This  "  WHEN  "  seems  to  please  him  so  much  that  Lot 
Kruger  quickens  his  steps,  and  comes  alongside  of  this 
attractive  young  lady,  and  for  some  unknown  reason 
begins  to  be  "  reel  cute,"  and  cavorts  about,  showing 
his  agility,  skipping  over  boulders,  remarking  during 
his  acrobatic  performances :  "  Yes,  I  feel  reel  boyish. 
I  allus  do  when  gals  are  about !  You  ask  Bishop  Tran- 
yon  there,  Miss  Ermie." 

On  this  frivolity,  Ralph,  for  some  occult  reason,  looks 
with  an  evil  eye.  It  seems  to  make  him  gloomy,  but 
Erma  rather  laughs  at  the  antics  of  this  Mormon  eccle- 


1 88  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

siastic,  who  seems  to  wish  to  make  her  forget  that  he  is 
fifty  years  of  age,  and  by  no  means  lovely  or  engaging. 

After  a  little,  however,  he  chances,  during  some  of  his 
prattle,  to  call  her  "  Miss  Tranyon,"  and  this  puts  the 
girl  into  such  a  rage,  that  did  he  but  know  it,  she  would 
like  to  annihilate  him.  She  draws  herself  up  very 
haughtily,  and  says  :  "  Excuse  me  !  I  am  always  ad- 
dressed as  Miss  Travenion,  and  have  never  been  christ- 
ened '  Sissy  '  or  Miss  Tranyon  !  " 

"  Oh,  no  offence,  Sissy — I  mean  Miss  Travenion  !  " 
answers  Kruger.  "  But  I  -didn't  suppose  you  would 
be  ashamed  of  the  name  your  daddy  answers  to,  and 
which  is  respected  in  this  community." 

To  this,  Ralph  says  in  explanation,  perhaps  apology  : 
"  When  I  came  here,  every  one  seemed  to  mistake  my 
name,  and  call  me  Tranyon.  I  did  not  take  the  trouble 
to  alter  their  pronunciation." 

But  his  daughter,  in  whom  anger  now  overcomes  pru- 
dence, says  sneeringly  :  "  Pshaw  !  You  were  ashamed  ! 
You  were  afraid  your  Eastern  friends  would  learn  you 
had  become  a  Mormon  !  "  Then  quickening  her  steps, 
she  reaches  the  works  and  dump  of  the  Co-operative 
Company  ahead  of  her  escorts,  and  seating  herself  on  a 
pile  of  timber,  looks  about  upon  the  operations  of  the 
miners,  which  being  novel,  create  some  interest  even  in 
her  present  state  of  agitation. 

This  changes  into  almost  a  sneer  of  indifference  as 
her  father  and  Kruger  arrive  on  the  dump  pile,  and  she 
sees  Ralph  very  shortly  thereafter  euchre  his  brother 
apostle  out  of  his  share  in  the  Zion  Co-operative  Min- 
ing Company,  which  is  quite  small  in  comparison  to 
Tranyon's ;  all  the  rest  of  his  fellow  Saints  having 
already  fallen  victims  to  his  imported  Wall  Street 
methods. 

Kruger  looking  about  the  place,  suddenly  says: 
"  Why,  bishop  !  we've  hardly  any  one  to  work  !  " 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  189 

"  Of  course  not !  "  replies  Travenion  easily.  "  We'll 
be  enjoined  Monday.  This  is  Saturday — so  I'm  laying 
the  men  off,  and  putting  things  in  shape  to  stop  opera- 
tions." 

"Enjined!     How's  that?" 

"  Well,  I  suppose  if  we  can  get  an  injunction  on  the 
Mineral  Hill,  they  can  do  the  same  to  us." 

"  I  reckon  you're  right,"  returns  Lot,  wiping  his  fore- 
head, and  looking  glum.  "But  I  thought  we  claimed 
their  mine — not  that  they  claimed  ourn." 

"  Besides,"  adds  Ralph,  "  it  is  about  as  well  for  us. 
We  have  got  no  pay  ore.  It  is  the  Mineral  Hill  we 
want,  I  imagine."  Here  he  gives  Kruger  a  signifi- 
cant wink,  and  continues :  "  You'd  better  walk  down 
our  incline,  and  see  how  our  prospects  are,  and  then 
come  up  and  tell  me  if  you  think  there  is  any  chance 
of  our  finding  anything  where  we're  working  now.  I'd 
like  your  opinion  on  that.  It  won't  take  you  half  an 
hour,  bishop." 

"  Wall,  there's  nuthin'  like  seein',"  replies  Kruger, 
and  descends  the  shaft,  which  is  not  difficult,  it  being  an 
inclined  one,  and  can  be  walked  down  if  necessary,  as  it 
pitches  into  the  hill  at  an  angle  of  not  over  forty-five 
degrees. 

There  are  two  ore-cars  running  on  tracks  in  this  shaft, 
to  the  lower  level  of  the  mine,  which  is  about  one  hun- 
dred feet  from  the  surface.  These  are  hauled  up  and 
let  down  by  a  horse  whim,  that  at  present,  in  contradic- 
tion to  its  name,  is  moved  by  a  long-eared,  strong- 
kicking  mule,  that  Erma  notices  is  called  Marcho. 

Kruger,  instead  of  using  his  feet,  prefers  mule  loco- 
motion, and  goes  down  on  one  of  these  cars  ;  the  other 
shortly  thereafter  making  its  appearance  at  the  surface, 
is  unloaded  of  some  waste  rock  and  a  few  dulled  drills 
and  other  debris  of  the  mine. 

Another   surface  employee  is  engaged  in  turning  a 


IQO  MISS    DIVIDENDS. 

circular  hand  fan,  which  through  a  large  tin  pipe  forces 
fresh  air  to  the  miners  working  in  the  lower  level. 

These  facts  are  easily  and  accurately  explained  by 
Ralph  to  his  daughter,  as  they  watch  Mr.  Kruger's 
descent. 

A  few  moments  after  Lot  has  disappeared,  he  sug- 
gests :  "  Wouldn't  you  like  to  see  the  interior  of  the 
mine,  Erma  ?" 

"  Is  it  safe  ? "  asks  the  young  lady. 

"  Certainly.  Do  you  suppose  I  would  knowingly  take 
you  into  danger  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  referred  to  my  costume,  not  myself,"  says 
Miss  Travenion  lightly,  who  is  apparently  determined 
to  throw  off  care  as  much  as  possible  this  day. 

"  Dust  will  not  hurt  linen,"  replies  her  father. 
"  There  is  no  seepage  at  this  season,  and  we  are  way 
above  the  water  level.  So  you  have  only  a  little  dust 
to  fear,  and  the  descent  is  not  long  nor  dangerous." 

Some  expression  in  his  face  makes  his  daughter  say 
"  Yes  "  to  his  proposal. 

A  few  moments  after,  the  two  are  alone  together  in 
the  car  descending  the  dark  incline,  and  Ralph  Tra- 
venion whispers  :  "  Watch  me  !  The  stock  is  below  the 
set  of  timbers  on  which  I  shall  place  my  hand." 

To  which  Erma  murmurs  :  "  I  understand  !  "  know- 
ing now  that  it  is  for  this  reason  her  father  wishes 
her  to  go  down  the  Zion  Co-operative  mine. 

At  the  foot  of  the  incline  they  find  a  level  running 
from  it  in  two  directions  :  one  towards  the  Mineral 
Hill,  the  other  directly  away  from  it.  This  last  has 
been  only  continued  about  forty  feet,  and  is  apparently 
deserted.  The  first,  which  seems  to  be  of  much  greater 
extent,  is  in  operation,  sounds  of  sledge  on  drill  being 
heard  coming  from  it,  and  the  lights  of  the  miners 
being  seen  as  they  work  on  its  face  far  away  from  the 
incline. 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  Ipl 

Assisted  by  her  father,  Erma  is  led  into  the  working 
portion  of  the  mine,  where  she  finds  Mr.  Kruger  making 
his  inspection  of  the  same  with  the  aid  of  a  tallow 
candle,  and,  apparently,  not  exceedingly  pleased  with 
what  he  sees. 

"  You  don't  find  very  much  mineral,  do  you,  bishop  ? " 
remarks  Travenion.  "  No,"  replies  Lot,  surlily.  "  There 
ain't  enough  in  this  vein  to  silver  a  tea-pot"  Then  he 
says  suddenly  :  "But  we  have  only  got  one  hundred  feet 
more  to  run  to  the  Mineral  Hill " 

"  Which  we  won't  travel  in  a  hurry,  when  we're 
enjoined,"  jeers  Ralph. 

With  this,  he  explains  to  his  daughter  the  methods  of 
mining  that  are  employed,  showing  her  the  air  as  it 
rushes  out  of  the  tin  air-pipe,  to  give  life  and  vitality  to 
the  miners  employed  below. 

This  inspection  doesn't  take  long,  and,  a  few  min- 
utes after,  they  return  to  the  station,  followed  by  Lot. 

Just  here,  however,  Travenion  says  :  "  I  haven't  had 
a  look  at  this  other  drift  for  a  good  while.  I  think  I'll 
make  a  little  examination  of  it  now,"  and  goes  into  the 
unused  level. 

When  he  reaches  the  fourth  set  of  timbers  from  the 
shaft,  by  the  light  of  his  candle,  Erma  sees  him  put  his 
hands  on  them,  and  lean  against  them,  as  he  examines 
the  face  of  the  drift. 

"Would  you  like  to  come  in,  Kruger?"  he  asks.  "I 
find  nothing." 

"  Seein's  believin' ! "  cries  Kruger,  and  makes  an 
examination  also.  Then  the  two  men  come  back  to 
the  station. 

Erma  notices  that  Lot  has  left  his  genial  spirits  in 
the  bottom  of  the  mine,  for  when  they  are  hoisted  to 
the  surface  he  turns  round  and  says  :  "  Tranyon,  unless 
we  get  the  Mineral  Hill,  we  don't  get  anything." 

"And  for  that  we  have  got  to  fight  them,"  answers 


1 92  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

Ralph.  Then  he  continues  :  "  By  the  bye,  you  know 
Captain  Lawrence  has  engaged  Parshall  &  Garter.  We 
have  got  a  big  fight  on  our  hands,  and  I  suspect  I'll 
have  to  assess  you." 

"  How  much  ? "  gasps  Kruger. 

"  Well,  I  guess  about  twenty-five  hundred  dollars  will 
do  for  your  share,  as  a  starter." 

"  As  a  starter  ! "  screams  Lot,  who,  though  com- 
fortably off  for  a  Mormon,  is  not  rich  like  Travenion. 

"  Yes,  for  just  a  little  bit  of  a  starter.  It's  going  to 
cost  me  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  perhaps  more, 
to  fight  this  case,  and  you  don't  suppose  I'm  going  to 
spend  all  the  money,  do  you,  bishop  ?" 

"  Great  Zion  !  You  talk  of  money  as  if  it  was 
water  !  "  groans  Kruger.  Then  he  mutters  to  him- 
self :  "  I  wish  I  could  get  out  of  this  thing  ! " 

Leaving  him  to  digest  this  unpleasant  communication, 
Travenion  takes  his  daughter's  arm,  and  they  walk  to 
the  end  of  the  dump  pile.  Here  he  points  out  to  her 
various  mining  locations  and  things  of  interest  on  the 
scene. 

Up  to  the  right,  about  a  mile,  is  the  big  ledge  of 
the  Eureka  Mining  Company,  then  in  litigation  also. 
Across  the  West  Tintic  Valley,  over  thirty  miles  of 
sage  brush,  is  the  Scotia  Mine.  To  the  left,  Silver 
City  and  Diamond. 

"  But  where  is  Captain  Lawrence's  mine,  the  Mineral 
Hill  ? "  asks  the  young  lady  eagerly. 

"  Just  up  a  little  and  further  to  our  right — about  three 
hundred  feet ;  "  and  Travenion  pointing  out  the  spot, 
Erma  places  such  anxious  eyes  upon  it  that  her  father 
whispers  :  "  No  hope  of  seeing  your  young  man  now  ! 
He  doesn't  know  yet  his  injunction  is  discontinued. 
He'll  be  down  in  a  day  or  two  !  "  and  pats  her  cheek, 
and  laughs  as  if  he  had  hopes  himself  from  this  enter- 
prising young  Gentile  Philistine. 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  193 

Just  here  they  are  interrupted  by  Kruger,  who  comes 
up  suddenly  and  mumbles  :  "  Bishop,  I'd  like  to  sell 
out !  " 

"  Who  to  ? "  jeers  Ralph.  "  Law-suits  are  too  plenty 
around  here  for  most  people  to  want  to  buy  them." 

"  To  you  !  "  says  Lot.  "  You're  the  only  man  can 
handle  this  thing  properly.  Then  you'll  have  the 
whole  of  it." 

"  I  think  I  have  enough  now,  considering  I've  rather 
an  expensive  family,"  returns  Travenion,  and  his  eyes 
regard  his  daughter  laughingly  but  lovingly. 

"  You  won't  buy  my  stock  ? "  appeals  Kruger  again. 

"  Not  unless  you  name  a  very  low  figure,  bishop." 

"  So  I  will,"  cries  Lot.  "  I  ain't  no  good  at  mining, 
nohow.  If  'twas  cattle,  or  farmin',  I'd  stand  any  man 
off!" 

Then  he  names  so  low  a  sum  that  Travenion  says  : 
"All  right  !  We'll  draw  up  a  deed  this  afternoon,"  and 
with  that  gives  the  foreman  the  necessary  orders  for 
closing  the  mine. 

They  all  start  down  the  hill  together,  though  before 
leaving,  Ralph  gets  a  very  grateful  glance  from  his 
daughter,  who,  coming  close  to  him,  whispers  :  "  You 
bought  Kruger's  stock  so  as  to  make  the  deed  to  Cap- 
tain Lawrence.  God  bless  you,  father,  for  doing  him 
justice  ! " 

So  they  come  down  the  trail,  towards  the  main  road, 
all  apparently  happy — Erma  because  she  thinks  Tra- 
venion's  justice  may  make  Harry  Lawrence  forget  she 
is  Tranyon's  daughter  ;  Kruger  because  he  has  got  out 
of  what  he  thinks  a  bad  speculation  with  some  little 
money  ;  Ralph  because  his  daughter's  eyes  are  brighter 
and  her  step  is  lighter  than  at  any  time  since  she  has 
known  he  was  a  Mormon. 

As  they  are  passing  a  pile  of  rocks  that  borders 
the  trail,  a  sudden  sound,  like  that  of  a  dozen  locusts, 


194  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

comes  to  them.  Erma,  with  a  little  cry,  gathers  her 
skirts  about  her,  and  springs  upon  a  near-by  boulder. 
Travenion  looks  hurriedly  about  for  a  stick. 

The  next  instant,  Lot,  who  has  lived  all  his  life  in 
wild  places,  has  guessed  the  matter,  and  coming  up, 
cries  :  "  Why,  it's  a  pesky  rattler !  "  and  with  a  handy 
rock  smashes  the  head  of  a  serpent  that  has  coiled 
itself  upon  the  trail,  a  little  ahead  of  them. 

"A  rattlesnake!  Oh,  mercy!"  screams  Miss  Tra- 
venion, scrambling  higher  up  on  her  boulder  of  safety. 

"  You  can  come  down,  now,  Erma,"  says  her  father. 
But  she  stands  poised  on  her  eyrie,  and  discusses  the 
matter,  making  a  picture  that  causes  Lot's  sturdy  heart 
to  beat  harder  than  it  did  when  climbing  the  mountain. 

"  Not  yet — I  have  read  of  them.  They  travel  in 
pairs  !  "  she  gasps. 

"  Wall,  this  critter  is  dead,  any  way,"  suggests 
Kruger.  "  He  has  bitten  himself  twice  since  I  '  rocked  ' 
him.  It's  all-fired  queer  how  these  varmints  commit 
suicide  when  wounded." 

"  There's  no  danger,"  says  Travenion. 

"I'll  toss  him  out  of  the  path  ;  then  you'll  come 
down,  Sissy  !  "  remarks  the  gallant  Lot.  For  somehow 
the  beauty  of  this  young  lady — so  different  from  the 
other  women  this  man  has  met — makes  him  wish  to 
soothe  fears  he  would  be  indifferent  to,  perhaps  con- 
demn, even  in  one  of  the  many  wives  of  his  bosom. 

"  Oh,  please  do.  I'll  thank  you  so  much,  Mr.  Kruger," 
answers  Erma. 

Then  she  ejaculates:  "Do  it  quick!  I  don't  like 
to  look  at  it !  "  For  the  Mormon  bishop  seems  to  be 
awkward  over  his  work,  perchance  because  Miss  Tra- 
venion, in  her  agitated  pose,  displays  an  ankle  that 
might  daze  any  lover  of  the  beautiful. 

A  moment  after,  he  has  flung  the  reptile  away,  and 
Erma  descends,  a  little  nervous  yet,  as  she  falters : 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  195 

"  Are  there  many  of  them  about  ? "  and  manifests  a 
disposition  to  run  down  the  hill. 

"This  is  the  first  I  have  seen  this  year,"  says  Ralph, 
reassuringly. 

"Yes,  these  critters  are  scarce  round  here,"  adds 
Lot ;  "  but  over  thar  in  Provo  Canon,  fifty  miles  away  " 
— he  points  northeast — "  ye  can't  go  one  hundred  yards 
without  hearing  'em.  And  up  at  the  head  of  it,  there 
war  thousands  of  'em,  but  we  all  turned  out,  couple  o' 
years  ago,  and  burnt  'em  up  in  a  cave  they  '  denned ' 
in.  It's  a  marvellous  place,  the  top  of  Provo  Canon,"  he 
continues.  "  There's  springs  of  writing-ink  up  there, 
and  green  and  red  colored  water,  and  ice-cold  foun- 
tains and  b'iling  hot  fountains,  all  coming  out  of  pot- 
shaped  domes." 

"  It  must  be  very  curious,  Mr.  Kruger,"  returns 
Erma,  who  thinks  she  must  appear  grateful  to  him  for 
killing  the  snake. 

"  Perhaps  ye'll  see  it  some  time,  yerself,  Sissy," 
remarks  Lot.  "  I  have  got  as  pretty  a  ranch  as  is  seen 
in  Utah,  up  the  Kammas  Prairie  on  the  head-waters  of 
Provo  River.  I  have  got  as  fine  cattle  and  sheep,  and 
four  as  likely " 

He  checks  himself  suddenly  here,  but  Ralph  sar- 
castically adds  :  "  Wives — why  don't  you  say  it  at 
once,  bishop  ?  Four  as  likely  wives  as  there  is  in 
Utah,  as  well  as  a  fifth  at  Provo,  and  a  sixth  in  Cache 
Valley."  Then  he  chuckles :  "  You're  too  bashful, 
Kruger  !  " 

For  that  gentleman  has  suddenly  grown  red,  and 
guffaws  :  "  Git  out !  Bishop  Tranyon  !  Yer  givin'  me 
away  to  your  darter  !  " 

"Pish!"  cries  Ralph.  "You  were  never  diffident 
about  it  before.  I  have  heard  you  brag  about  your 
women  folks  and  big  family  to  a  dozen  girls,  at  a  dance 
in  Provo." 


196  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

"  Stop,  bishop  ! "  interjects  Kruger,  interrupting  him. 
"  You  have  scared  Ermie  plump  off  !  " 

Which  is  true,  for  Miss  Travenion  has  suddenly  dis- 
played a  desire  for  rapid  movement  that  has  carried 
her  well  ahead  of  the  gentlemen,  down  the  trail. 

Her  refined  mind  resents  her  father's  laughing  allusions 
to  polygamy,  which  make  her  shudder.  Anxious  to  avoid 
the  subject  entirely,  she  walks  on  so  rapidly  that  her 
escorts  do  not  overtake  her  till  she  has  reached  the  hotel. 

As  she  walks,  two  ideas  force  themselves  upon  her. 
Her  father  wishes  her  to  know  that  Kruger  is  a  mar- 
ried man.  Kruger  does  not  care  that  she  should  learn 
the  fact.  Why  is  he  confused  and  diffident  over  her 
knowledge  of  what  he  has  boasted  to  a  dozen  Mormon 
girls  at  a  time? 

She  can't  think  of  any  answer  to  this  for  a  little 
while,  but  just  as  she  reaches  the  door  of  the  hotel,  a 
great  wave  of  color  flies  over  her  face,  followed  by  an 
unnatural  pallor,  and  shivering  as  if  struck  by  the  ague, 
she  sinks  on  to  an  empty  box  that  stands  near  the  door. 

A  moment  after  her  father  is  by  her  side,  whispering  : 
"  You  are  faint !  " 

And  Kruger  coming  up  cries:  "This  high  air  up 
here  is  too  much  for  ye !  " 

"  I'll  be  better  in  a  moment !  "  whispers  the  girl. 
"  Could  not  you  get  me  a  drink  of  water  ? " 

Her  father  going  on  this  errand,  Lot  laughingly 
suggests  :  "  I  reckon  it  must  have  been  the  sight  of 
the  snake  that  weakened  ye  ! " 

"  Yes — I  think  it  was — the  sight  of  the  snake — " 
shudders  Erma. 

Then  Ralph  brings  the  water  to  her  and  she  drinks 
it  as  if  there  were  a  fever  in  her  veins,  and  her  eyes 
seem  to  follow  Kruger,  the  Mormon  bishop,  as  if  he 
were  the  rattlesnake — only  they  look  on  him  with 
more  loathing  than  they  did  on  the  reptile. 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  197 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

A    RARE    CLUB    STORY. 

THEN,  under  the  plea  of  illness,  Miss  Travenion 
seeks  her  little  room  in  the  hotel,  to  get  away  from  the 
sight  of  this  man  whom  she  has  suddenly  grown  to 
loathe — she  hardly  fears  him — the  idea  that  has  come 
to  her  about  him  seems  so  preposterous. 

Some  two  hours  afterwards,  her  father  knocking  on 
her  door,  asks  if  she  is  well  enough  to  see  him.  Being 
told  to  enter,  he  does  so,  whispering  to  her  :  "  Speak 
low  !  Sound  passes  easily  from  one  room  to  another." 

Then  he  informs  her  he  has  received  his  deed  from 
Kruger,  and  has  forwarded  the  deed  of  Zion's  Co-oper- 
ative Mining  Company  to  Captain  Lawrence,  remark- 
ing :  "  This  will  bring  your  young  springald  down 
here  very  suddenly,  I  imagine,"  playfully  chuckling 
Erma  under  the  chin  with  a  father's  pride. 

"  Do  not  deceive  yourself  !  "  answers  the  girl.  "  Cap- 
tain Lawrence  is  not  engaged  to  me.  He  has  never 
said  one  word  of  love  to  me.  He  will  now  probably 
never  say  one  of  love  to  me.  You  ARE  MY  FATHER  !  " 
This  last  with  a  sigh  is  a  fearful  reproach  to  this 
Mormon  bishop,  who  in  the  misery  of  his  child  is  re- 
penting of  his  sins. 

A  moment  after  he  whispers  :  "  Be  careful  of  what 
you  say  before  Kruger.  Though  we  have  travelled 
together  for  many  a  day  and  many  a  night,  I  fear  in 
case  of  apostasy  that  to  Lot  Kruger's  hand  is  given  my 
cutting  off." 

With  this  caution  he  leaves  her. 

In  this  case,  Travenion's  subtle  mind  has  guessed 
the  truth.  For  the  heads  of  the  Mormon  Church  have 
thought  it  wise  to  place  this  matter  entirely  in  Kru- 
ger's hands.  They  fear  the  apostasy  of  R.  H.  Tranyon. 


198  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

They  fear  more,  the  loss  of  the  vote  of  his  stock  in  the 
Utah  Central  Railway — that  will  lose  them  the  control 
in  that  road.  They  have  determined  to  prevent  it. 

But  with  the  Jesuitism  that  has  always  governed  the 
policy  of  the  Mormon  theocracy,  they  have  told  Kru- 
ger — whom  they  have  had  on  such  business  before, 
together  with  his  old  chum  Danites,  Porter  Rockwell 
and  Bill  Hickman — to  take  the  affair  in  his  hands,  and 
if  he  finds  beyond  peradventure  and  doubt  that  R.  H. 
Tranyon,  capitalist  and  bishop,  is  going  to  apostatize, 
to  do  "  what  the  Lord  tells  him  to  do"  which  they  know 
means  Tranyon's  destruction,  because  Kruger  is  an  old- 
time  Mormon  fanatic,  and  will  do  the  work  of  the 
Lord,  by  the  old  methods  of  the  days  of  the  so-called 
Reformation,  when  "  blood  atonement  "  was  preached 
openly  from  their  pulpits,  and  death  followed  all  who 
doubted  or  apostatized.  They  have  also  made  up  their 
minds,  if  trouble  comes  to  them  through  what  Kruger 
does,  to  sacrifice  him  to  Gentile  justice,  and,  if  neces- 
sary, secure  Mormon  witnesses  that  will  bear  evidence 
against  him,  and  a  Mormon  jury  who  will  convict  him, 
as  they  are  making  ready  to  do  with  Kruger'sold  friend 
and  associate,  Bishop  John  D.  Lee,  of  the  Mountain 
Meadow  massacre. 

This  commission  delights  Lot  very  much.  He  doesn't 
think  his  friend  Tranyon  an  apostate,  but  he  does  think 
Tranyon's  daughter,  this  Eastern  butterfly,  as  beautiful 
as  the  angels  of  paradise,  and  he  has  accepted  his  mis- 
sion gleefully. 

All  the  way  driving  down  to  Tintic,  he  has  been 
rubbing  his  hands  and  muttering  to  himself:  "It's 
lucky  they  didn't  see  her  in  the  Tithing  Office  or  the 
Endowment  House,  or  there  would  have  been  a  rush 
of  apostles  for  this  beauty,  who  shall  become  a  lamb 
of  Zion,  and  be  sealed  by  the  Lord  in  plural  marriage 
unto  Lot  Kruger." 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  199 

It  is  with  this  idea  that  he  has  come  to  Tintic, 
and,  still  believing  Tranyon  to  be  Mormon  zealot  like 
himself,  thinks  Ralph  will  regard  it  as  no  more  dishonor 
to  give  his  daughter  into  polygamy  to  a  brother  bishop  ; 
than  he,  Lot  Kruger,  would  think,  of  turning  over  any 
of  his  numerous  progeny  to  make  an  additional  help- 
mate to  any  of  his  co-apostles. 

Being  confident  of  this,  Lot  imagines  he  can  wait 
patiently  till  "  Ermie  sees  the  good  that  is  in  him." 

Therefore,  they  all  sit  down  to  a  waiting  game  ;  for 
Tranyon  believes  himself  safer  in  this  mining  camp 
than  anywhere  else  in  Utah,  and  dare  not  leave  so  long 
as  Kruger  is  by  his  side. 

This  delay  is  not  utterly  unbearable  to  Miss  Trave- 
nion,  because  every  day  she  thinks  the  incoming  stage,  or 
some  private  buckboard,  or  light  wagon,  will  bear  into 
town  the  man  she  is  looking  for — Captain  Harry  Law- 
rence— who,  at  least,  should  come  filled  with  gratitude  to 
Ralph  Travenion,  though  he  may  despise  Bishop  Tranyon. 

So  she  passes  her  time,  driving  to  Silver  City,  Dia- 
mond and  Homansville  with  her  father,  who,  under  the 
pretence  of  settling  various  demands  of  business,  lingers 
in  Tintic  Mining  District ;  now  and  then  reading  a 
novel,  for  Ralph  has  thoughtfully  sent  to  Salt  Lake 
and  provided  her  with  some  books.  Altogether,  she  is 
not  uncomfortable,  as  she  has  brought  a  sufficiency  of 
clothing  with  her,  though  most  of  her  trunks  have 
been  left  at  the  Townsend  House.  Her  father,  who 
has  never  forgotten  his  old  sybaritic  life,  sees  that  their 
table  is  supplied  with  every  luxury  which  can  be  ob- 
tained in  the  place,  sending  Mormon  boys  to  Utah 
Lake  for  trout,  and  to  Payson  for  late  fruits,  and  secur- 
ing from  Salt  Lake  City  wines  of  the  best  vintages  of 
France. 

The  air  is  fresh,  and  growing  colder,  and  the  young 
lady's  cheeks  are  very  rosy,  though  they  have  been 


200  MISS    DIVIDENDS. 

browned  by  the  sun.  There  is  some  little  excitement 
in  the  place,  also.  The  litigation  between  the  Big 
Eureka  and  the  King  David  has  come  to  trial  by  battle, 
and  these  companies  have  each  imported  armed  fighters 
from  Pioche,  Nevada,  the  most  ferocious  mining  camp 
in  the  West. 

Thus  time  runs  into  November,  but  the  girl's  heart 
is  getting  heavier  and  heavier,  for  the  man  she  is  look- 
ing for,  and  who  has  occupied  most  of  her  thoughts  for 
the  last  six  weeks,  has  not  yet  arrived. 

Then  one  day,  quite  late  in  the  month,  she  gets  a 
shock,  for  she  hears  he  has  left  the  Territory,  having 
sold  his  mine  to  an  English  company  for  a  large  sum  of 
money,  and  that  they  have  even  now  come  to  take 
possession  of  it. 

Travenion,  having  also  got  the  same  news,  says  to 
her,  shortly  :  "  Generosity  did  not  do  much  good  with 
young  Mr.  Harry  Ingrate — did  it  ?  " 

And  she,  being  stung  with  misery,  jeers  her  father, 
and  herself  also,  for  that  matter,  "  Yes,  the  daughter  of 
Tranyon,  the  Mormon  bishop,  has  no  longer  a  hold 
upon  the  Gentile's  heart !  Perchance  he  thinks  I  should 
wed  in  my  own  faith  ? " 

Then  she  falters  out  of  the  house,  and,  alone  by  her- 
self, among  some  pinon-pines  that  grow  on  the  hillside, 
tears  come  into  her  lovely  eyes,  for  she  feels  herself  cut 
off  forever  from  the  bright  world  in  which  she  once 
lived,  and  mutters :  "  Is  this  rough  mining  camp  a 
dream  ;  or  were  Newport  yachting  parties  and  Delmon- 
ico  balls  hallucinations  ?" 

But  this  brings  the  matter  first  to  climax  and  then  to 
catastrophe.  The  girl  treats  with  great  hauteur  and 
angry  scorn  Kruger,  who  would  be  devoted  to  her,  if 
she  would  but  let  him,  for,  curiously  enough,  this  old 
polygamist,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  is  in  love,  as 
much  as  a  Mormon  can  be,  with  this  elusive  butterfly 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  2OI 

who  dodges  his  net  and  mocks  his  pursuit.  Under  the 
plea  of  business  he  suddenly  goes  away. 

Then  Ralph,  coming  to  Erma,  says  :  "  Now  is  our 
time.  We  leave  in  a  day  or  two  !  " 

But  before  they  have  completed  their  preparations, 
Kruger,  who  has  driven  rapidly  to  Salt  Lake  City,  and 
as  rapidly  returned,  comes  suddenly  into  Travenion's 
mining  office,  where  he  and  his  daughter  have  been  dis- 
cussing their  preparations  for  departure. 

Perhaps  some  evidences  of  their  intentions  are  about 
the  room,  for  Lot  jovially  remarks :  "  Packing  up, 
Ralph  !  That's  right  ;  they  will  be  wanting  ye  in  Salt 
Lake  soon.  I've  brought  a  communication  from  the 
head  of  the  Church." 

"  Oh  !  "  says  Travenion,  feigning  a  lightness  that  he 
does  not  feel.  "What  does  the  Lord  say,  through  Brig- 
ham  Young,  his  prophet  ?  Erma,  just  wait  for  me  out- 
side. I'll  go  down  with  you  to  the  hotel  in  a  moment." 

Acting  on  the  hint,  Miss  Travenion  leaves  the  house, 
and  stands  waiting  for  her  father  ;  and  waits,  and 
waits  until  darkness  comes  upon  the  scene,  and  voices 
in  excitement  come  out  of  the  thinly  boarded  building. 
Actuated  by  an  anxious  curiosity  she  cannot  control, 
the  young  lady  draws  nearer  to  the  house,  and  through 
its  thin  walls  come  to  her  these  words  :  "  It's  no  good 
discussin'  the  matter  further,  Bishop  Tranyon.  The 
Church  orders  you  two  things.  One  is  to  pay  the  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars  tithing  you  owe  to  it " 

"  Haven't  I  told  you  that  I  have  no  ready  money  ? "  cries 
Ralph.  "Isn't  this  lawsuit  taking  every  cent  I  can  spare?" 

"  Yer  duty  to  yer  Church  is  fust,  my  friend  !  "  answers 
Lot.  "  Besides,  what  yer  tellin'  me  ain't  true.  Up  at 
the  city  they  know  you've  discontinued  the  lawsuit, 
and  have  given  that  d — mned  Captain  Lawrence  " — he 
grinds  the  words  out  between  his  clenched  teeth — "  a 
quit-claim  deed  to  his  mine.  Perhaps  you  thought 


202  MISS    DIVIDENDS. 

you'd  give  him  yer  darter  also  ;  but  he's  gone  away  to 
Europe,  I  reckon,  and  busted  that  plan." 

Ralph  does  not  answer  him,  and  he  goes  on :  "  The 
Church  says  it  will  take  yer  one  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars tithing  in  stock  of  the  Utah  Central  at  fifty." 

"At  fifty  !"  screams  Travenion,  forgetting  himself  in 
rage.  "  Why,  it's  worth  one  hundred  and  fifty.  I've 
been  offered  that  for  it  by  the — "  But  he  remembers, 
and  says  no  more. 

"  By  the  Union  Pacific  Railway  !  "  ejaculates  Kruger 
sternly.  "  Ye've  been  dickering  with  them  for  that 
stock  !  Ye  want  to  sell  the  Church  out  of  control  of 
that  road ! " 

"As  God  is  above  me,  that  is  not  true  !  " 

"  Swear  it,  R.  H.  Tranyon  !  Swear  it  by  Joseph  Smith, 
the  prophet  of  the  Lord  !  "  cries  Kruger,  in  his  fanati- 
cism prescribing  an  oath  that  is  very  easy  for  Travenion 
to  take. 

"  I  do,"  he  answers,  "by  Joseph  Smith,  the  prophet  of 
the  Lord !  " 

"  Then  I  believe  ye.  No  one  could  take  that  affidavit 
and  lie  !  "  says  Lot,  devoutly. 

A  second  after,  he  goes  on  suddenly  and  suspiciously  : 
"  But  it  is  reported,  among  the  Saints  in  the  city,  you're 
getting  lukewarm  in  the  faith,  R.  H." 

"  And  you,  Lot — what  did  you  say  ? "  asks  Travenion 
anxiously. 

"  I  said  it  was  a  confounded  lie  !  That  there  wa'n't  a 
truer  Mormon  than  R.  H.  Tranyon  on  the  'arth  !  Tell 
me  so  yerself  ; "  and  the  voice  of  the  man  becomes 
pleading  as  he  continues  :  "  We  have  been  pards  so 
long  I  wouldn't  like  to  cut  ye  off." 

"  I  swear  it !  "  gasps  Ralph.  "  I'm  a  true  Mormon  !  " 
For  now  he  is  sure  that  the  man  appointed  to  be  his 
destroying  angel  stands  before  him. 

"  You  can  prove  it  !  " 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  203 

"  HOW  ?  " 

"  You've  a  little  lamb  down  here " 

"  My  God  !  " 

"  Make  a  sacrifice  of  her  to  the  Lord  !  Let  Ermie 
take  her  endowments,  and  the  Church  and  I  will  believe 
ye're  true  to  the  faith  of  Joseph  Smith,  the  prophet,  and 
Hyrum,  his  brother." 

To  this  Tranyon  makes  no  reply  for  one  second.  Then 
he  mutters  suddenly  and  brokenly  :  "  Tell  them  I'll  pay 
my  tithing  with  the  Utah  Central  stock." 

"  At  fifty  ?  " 

"  Yes,  at  any  figure  they  like  ;  only,  for  God's  sake, 
leave  my  daughter  out  of  this  business.  I'll  bring  it 
with  me ! " 

"  Ah,  that  'ere  stock's  down  here  !  "  says  Kruger  sud- 
denly. "  Now  you're  coming  round,  bishop,  to  the  de- 
mands of  the  Church,  I'll  tell  you  some  good  news  I 
have  for  you.  They're  goin'  to  make  you  a  missionary 
to  England  ! " 

"  Aha  !  before  the  election  in  the  Utah  Central  ? " 

"  Yes  ;  the  Church  will  vote  the  rest  of  yer  stock  for 
ye." 

"  But  my  daughter  !  "  falters  Travenion.  "  I  can't 
leave  her  !  " 

"  Don't  have  no  fear  for  her,  bishop  !  I'll  look  after 
her  as  if  she  was  my  own."  And  Kruger's  orbs  light 
with  sudden  passion.  "  I've  been  keepin'  my  eyes  on 
her.  She's  a " 

But  he  says  no  more,  for  Erma  Travenion  sweeps  in 
between  the  men,  with  such  a  look  in  her  blazing  eyes 
that  they  both  fall  back  from  her. 

She  cries,  "  Father,  you  pay  no  tithing  to  the  Mor- 
mon Church.  Your  daughter  takes  none  of  its  vile 
mysteries  of  endowment !  " 

"  Quit  yer  blasphemy  of  the  Church  of  Zion  !  "  yells 
Kruger  to  the  girl.  Then  he  turns  on  Travenion  and  re- 


204  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

bukes  him  sternly,  "  Bishop,  your  darter's  been  brought 
up  wrong !  She's  too  high-spir'ted  and  wayward ! 
I  never  'low  no  woman  in  my  household — wife  or 
darter — to  lift  up  her  voice  ag'in  me  and  my  doin's.  If 
Miss  Upity  were  my  gal  I'd  take  the  blaspheming  out 
of  her  with  a  heavy  hand." 

But  here  astonishment  comes  on  Erma.  Her  father 
says  :  "  Kruger,  you're  right  !  My  daughter  has  been 
brought  up  wrong  !  I  now  see  my  error  in  not  bring- 
ing her  into  the  true  faith.  She  shall  take  her  endow- 
ments !  " 

"  First  kill  me ! "  cries  the  girl,  who  cannot  believe 
what  she  hears. 

"  Kill  ye  !  "  answers  Lot.  "  Why,  it  will  be  the  mak- 
ing of  ye.  Saving  yer  soul  from  perdition,  is  yer 
daddy's  duty,  my  child." 

"  Saving  my  soul  ? "  screams  Erma.  "  Saving  my 
soul  ? — by  making  me  one  of  your  horrible  sect  that 
degrades  both  women  and  men  also  by  its  bestial  creed!  " 
And  indignation  makes  her  beauty  greater  than  it  was 
before — so  great  that  fanatic  Lot's  eyes  grow  as  bright 
as  hers,  though  with  a  different  gleam. 

But  her  father  stops  more,  by  saying  hastily  :  "  Kru- 
ger, go  up  to  Salt  Lake.  Tell  them  I'll  pay  my  tithing 
in  the  Central  stock  at  their  figure.  Tell  them  I'll  vote 
the  balance  as  they  please,  and  my  daughter  shall  take 
her  endowments !  " 

"  Swear  't  as  you  hope  for  Heaven  ! "  cries  Lot. 

"  As  I  hope  for  the  Mormon  paradise  ! "  answers 
Travenion. 

At  this  the  girl  gives  two  awful  gasps  ;  one — "  De- 
serted by  the  man  I  once  thought  loved  me  !  " — the 
other — "  Betrayed  by  my  father." 

And  the  two  men  leaving  her,  she  sinks  down,  dumb 
with  despair.  After  a  moment  their  footsteps  pass 
down  the  trail. 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  205 

In  a  few  minutes,  thought  and  movement  coming 
to  their  victim,  she  rises,  and  staggering  to  the  door  to 
make  some  wild  effort  to  fly,  is  met  by  her  father,  who 
whispers  to  her  :  "  Forgive  me  !  " 

"  Promising  me  to  the  degradation  of  the  Mormon 
Church.  How  can  I  forgive  that?"  Then  she  sighs, 
"  How  could  my  father  do  this?  " 

"  For  both  our  lives  !  "  he  whispers.  "  Kruger  has 
gone  to  Salt  Lake.  I  have  a  certain  plan  for  our 
escape ; "  and  would  put  his  arms  about  her  and 
soothe  her. 

But  the  girl  bursts  from  him,  sobbing  wildly.  And  he 
bends  over  her,  trying  to  comfort  her,  and  sobbing  also: 
"  It  was  for  both  our  lives  !  Erma,  darling,  could  you 
not  see  it  ?  Don't  you  know  that  I  would  die  for  you  !  " 
Then  he  mutters,  "  It  would  have  been  a  pity  if,  for  a 
few  words,  we  had  lost  our  opportunity  to — defeat  this 
Mormon  rustic — we,  whose  intellects  have  been  sharp- 
ened in  the  outside  world.  What  is  pride  against  suc- 
cess ?  Be  a  woman  of  sense  as  well  as  of  emotions. 
Pardon  me  using  diplomacy  in  my  extremity.  Aid  me 
to  carry  out  my  plan  !  " 

And  she  remembering  that  this  man  is  her  father  and 
has,  up  to  the  present  time,  treated  her  as  the  daughter 
of  his  pride  and  love,  queries,  "  How  ?  What  plan  ? " 
then  mutters  despairingly  :  "  What  matter  ;  you  have 
given  him  your  oath." 

"  Pish  !  By  my  hope  of  the  Mormon  Heaven,"  he 
jeers  ;  then  whispers  in  a  voice  whose  earnestness  com- 
pels attention  :  "  Kruger  has  gone  to  Salt  Lake  to  tell 
them  of  my  submission.  To-morrow  morning  you 
leave,  without  me,  for  Salt  Lake  City  ;  with  you  shall 
go  my  stock  in  the  Utah  Central  Railroad.  When 
there,  express  that  stock  to  my  order  at  San  Francisco, 
by  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.,  taking  their  receipt  for  the  same 
by  certificate  numbers  and  valuing  it  at  five  hundred 


206  MISS    DIVIDENDS. 

thousand  dollars  I'll  risk  W.  F.  &  Co.  standing  the 
Mormon  Church  off  for  half  a  million,  for  I'll  pay  no 
more  tithing  to  Brigham  Young."  And  he  grinds  his 
teeth,  thinking  of  what  he  has  already  paid. 

"  But  I  may  be  cut  off  on  the  road  ! "  falters  Erma. 

"  No,  there  is  no  chance  of  that,"  he  answers  ;  next 
cries  :  "  Good  God  !  you  don't  think  I  would  put  peril 
on  you  !  Listen  how  I  have  guarded  you."  Then  he 
hastily  explains  that  she  is  to  travel  via  Tooele,  which 
will  prevent  any  chance  of  Kruger's  meeting  her  as 
he  returns  from  his  errand — for  Lot  always  comes  to 
Tintic  by  the  shorter  Lake  road ;  that  two  Gentile 
miners,  whom  Ralph  can  trust,  will  guard  her  to  Salt 
Lake  City  ;  that  Kruger,  on  his  return  to  Eureka,  will 
find  them  both  gone,  and  will  try  to  follow  his,  Trave- 
nion's,  track,  for  he  will,  of  course,  imagine  they  have 
fled  together ;  that  he  will  be  sure  to  follow  him,  for 
Bishop  R.  H.  Tranyon  can  be  easily  tracked,  being  well 
known  all  over  the  Territory,  having  time  and  again 
preached  at  Conference  to  Mormons  who  have  come  to 
the  Tabernacle  from  the  south  and  the  north,  the  east 
and  the  west.  "  In  finding  me  he  will  think  to  find  you 
— so  you  at  least  will  be  safe,"  chuckles  Ralph.  Then 
he  says  earnestly  :  "As  soon  as  you  are  in  Salt  Lake, 
take  the  train  to  Ogden,  and  then  the  U.  P.  Railroad, 
and  get  to  New  York  as  quickly  as  you  can.  There  I 
will  meet  you  !  " 

"  But  you — what  of  you  ?  While  I  seek  safety,  you 
sacrifice  yourself?"  dissents  the  young  lady,  noting 
her  father's  idea  tends  to  her  escape,  not  his. 

"  That  is  the  craftiness  of  my  plan  !  "  grins  Tra- 
venion.  "  When  Lot  returns  to  Tintic  I  shall  have  also 
disappeared  ! " 

"  Where  ? " 

"  Into  the  bottom  of  my  deserted  mine  ! "  chuckles 
her  father.  "  No  one  will  think  of  looking  for  me 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  207 

there.  I  have  already  stored  the  place  with  all  the 
luxuries  and  comforts  of  life.  While  Kruger  is  seeking 
for  me  all  over  the  Territory,  arousing  his  Mormon 
fanatics  to  inflict  upon  me  '  the  vengeance  of  the  Lord,' 
I  shall  be  having  a  very  comfortable  time  of  it,"  sneers 
Ralph.  "  After  he  has  gone,  perhaps  to  the  far  south- 
ern settlements,  to  cut  me  off  there,  I  shall  come  out 
and  drive  very  quietly  to  the  railroad,  and  take  train 
for  California  or  Omaha,  whichever  seems  most  safe." 

"  But  they  may  recognize  you  in  Salt  Lake  City  !  " 
suggests  Erma. 

"  Hardly.  I  shall  travel  at  night  the  entire  way  to 
Ogden,  not  even  entering  Salt  Lake.  Besides,  the 
Church  has  put  this  matter  into  Kruger's  hands,  and 
will  not  interfere  in  his  business,  and  Kruger  will  be 
away.  I  know  the  peculiar  methods  my  saintly  associ- 
ates have  in  these  affairs — they  want  to  punish  only  at 
second  hand.  No  suspicion  must  fall  upon  apostles' 
heads  ;  that  might  mean  punishment  from  the  govern- 
ment of  the  United  States.  Now,"  he  says  shortly, 
"  will  you  do  what  I  have  explained  to  you  for  my 
sake — for  your  own  safety  ? " 

And  the  girl  cries  eagerly  :  "  Yes !  Anything  to 
escape  from  this  accursed  land." 

That  night  Ralph  makes  his  preparations,  and  be- 
fore daylight  next  morning  he  says  to  his  daughter, 
who  has  already  breakfasted,  "  Come  with  me.  The 
wagon  is  at  the  foot  of  the  hill." 

Getting  into  the  street,  which  is  dark  and  deserted  at 
this  early  hour  and  has  quite  a  little  fall  of  snow  on 
it,  November  having  far  advanced,  and  Thanksgiving 
day  being  already  celebrated,  they  move  along  the  road 
towards  Silver  City  ;  the  only  noise  coming  to  them 
being  occasional  firing  from  Eureka  Hill,  where  the 
fighting  men  of  that  company  are  exchanging  playful 
shots  with  the  guards  of  the  King  David,  just  to  re- 


208  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

mind  their  employers  that  a  raise  in  their  salaries  will 
be  agreeable. 

After  fifteen  minutes'  walk  they  come  to  the  hill  on 
which  the  Zion's  Co-operative  deserted  mine  is  located. 
At  the  foot  of  this  is  Travenion's  light  express  wagon, 
drawn  by  a  strange  team  of  broncos,  two  men  standing 
by  it.  Then  Ralph  says  easily  :  "  This  is  Patsey  Bolivar, 
and  this,  Pioche  George.  Gentlemen,  this  is  my  daugh- 
ter whom  you  have  promised  to  take  care  of." 

"  We'll  see  the  young  lady  through,"  remarks  Patsey, 
taking  off  his  hat. 

And  noting  Erma  has  started  back,  for  she  has 
recognized  her  selected  escorts  as  two  of  the  most  fero- 
cious fighters  in  the  camp,  Pioche  George,  as  he  doffs 
his  sombrero,  remarks  :  "  We  look  a  leetle  rough,  miss, 
but  you'll  find  us  very  tender  of  you,  and  very  tough  to 
your  enemies — eh,  Patsey  ? " 

To  which  Bolivar  cries  cheerily  :  "  No  coppers  on  us  !  " 

"Oh,  papa's  selection  proves  that,"  says  Miss  Tra- 
venion,  who  has  looked  into  these  gentlemen's  eyes  and 
feels  confident  of  them  as  she  gives  these  two  fighting 
men  her  hand,  so  affably  and  trustfully  that  she  binds 
them  to  her — even  to  life  and  death. 

Then  Ralph  remarks  :  "  I  wish  to  take  my  daughter 
with  me  up  to  my  mine  ;  would  one  of  you  come  with 
us  to  take  her  down  ?  I  shall  bid  her  good-bye,  there." 

"  With  pleasure,  bishop,"  replies  one  desperado. 

But  the  other  laughs, "  Quit  calling  him  bishop.  He's 
repented  and  become  a  Christian  like  us  ! " 

For  Travenion  has  been  compelled  to  take  these 
men  partially  into  his  trust,  which  he  has  done  quite 
confidently,  knowing  he  has  paid  them  well,  and  after 
having  taken  his  money  they  can  be  bought  by  no  one 
else,  the  code  of  morals  of  the  Western  mine  fighter 
being  very  definite  on  this  point. 

So,  followed  by  Pioche  George,  Patsey  Bolivar  remain- 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  209 

ing  to   look  after  the  team,  Ralph  assists  Erma  up  the 
hill. 

In  a  few  minutes  father  and  daughter  are  standing  in 
the  ore  house  on  the  dump  pile  of  the  now  deserted 
Zion's  Co-operative  Mine,  their  accompanying  fighting 
man  remaining  outside,  "  to  give  'em  a  chance  to  be  con- 
fidential." 

Ralph  whispers,  "  I'll  go  down  and  get  the  stock." 

But  Erma  says  suddenly,  "  Let  me  go  with  you.  I 
must  see  that  you  are  comfortable  during  your  retreat 
from  the  world." 

"  I  rather  think  I've  looked  out  for  myself  pretty 
thoroughly,"  laughs  Travenion,  who  seems  in  very 
good  spirits,  the  strain  of  waiting  having  passed  from 
his  mind.  Then  he  goes  on  earnestly,  "  God  bless  you, 
Erma,  for  thinking  of  me.  Come  down  and  see  what 
I've  done  for  myself.  I  can  give  you  the  stock  there 
just  as  well  as  here." 

So,  lighting  a  candle  for  her,  and  guiding  her  steps 
very  carefully,  Ralph  assists  his  daughter  down  the 
incline,  and  the  two  shortly  come  to  the  station,  and 
turning  along  the  level  that  runs  away  from  the  Min- 
eral Hill  Mine,  Ralph  pauses  at  the  fourth  set  of  tim- 
bers and  laughs,  "  What  do  you  say  to  this  for  a  bache- 
lor's apartment  ?  " 

To  this  his  daughter  cries,  "  Oh,  sybarite  ! — you've 
even  got  champagne  and  dried  buffalo  tongues." 

As  he  has,  a  dozen  pints  of  Veuve  Clicquot,  likewise 
Chateau  Margaux,  as  well  as  a  couple  of  boxes  of  rare 
Havanas,  and  canned  provisions  ;  a  soft  mattress  and 
warm  blankets  ;  a  chair  to  sit  upon,  half  a  dozen  nov- 
els and  some  current  literature  to  kill  time  with,  lots  of 
candles  to  illuminate  his  retreat,  and  plenty  of  water  in 
a  small  barrel. 

"  I'll  be  pretty  comfortable  here,  I  imagine,"  he  says, 
contemplatively. 
14 


210  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

"  No,  you'll  be  cold,"  answers  the  young  lady. 

"  Cold  ? — a  hundred  feet  under  the  ground  ?  This 
depth  is  the  perfection  of  climate.  It  is  neither  too 
warm  in  summer  nor  too  frigid  in  winter.  I  shall  be 
very  snug  down  here,"  he  remarks ;  then  chuckles,  "  while 
my  friend  Kruger  is  hunting  for  me  through  snow- 
storms and  blizzards  on  the  outer  earth." 

"  Still  it  seems  horrible,"  mutters  the  girl  with  a 
shudder,  "  for  you  to  be  buried  under  the  ground.  The 
air " 

"  Is  excellent  !  "  interrupts  Ralph,  tapping  the  tin  air- 
pipe  with  his  hand.  "  This  is  a  natural  draught — not 
enough  for  twenty  or  thirty  men  working  down  here 
unless  the  fan  is  in  operation,  but  lots  for  two  or  three. 
See  how  brightly  my  candles  burn  !  "  Then  he  says 
sharply,  "We've  no  time  to  lose.  Pioche  George  will  be 
getting  impatient  up-stairs.  Hold  a  candle  for  me,  my 
darling  !  " 

With  a  pick-axe  he  has  brought  down  with  him,  he 
exhumes  from  underneath  the  fourth  set  of  timbers  a 
small  iron  box,  strongly  secured  by  padlock,  and  giving 
it  with  its  key  to  Erma,  says  :  "  Do  as  I  have  directed 
with  this.  It  is  the  Utah  Central  stock." 

Then,  for  the  parting  is  coming,  she  falters  :  "  Father, 
when  will  you  join  me  ? " 

"  As  soon  as  you  are  surely  safe  and  out  of  this 
accursed  Territory,  and  Kruger  has  disappeared,  pur- 
suing me  with  his  Mormon  bloodhounds." 

A  second  after,  he  bursts  out,  as  if  a  great  relief  has 
come  upon  him,  from  throwing  off  the  bonds  that  have 
held  him  so  long  :  "  Oh,  how  I  have  scoffed  them  in  my 
heart,  as  I  have  preached  their  religious  bosh  at  Con- 
ference and  ward  meeting,  all  these  years.  Won't  this 
be  a  great  story  to  tell  in  the  Unity  Club,  New  York,  to 
my  old  chums,  De  Punster  and  Van  Beekman,  Travis  and 
Larry  Jerry,  and  the  rest  of  the  boys  ?  How  they  will 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  211 

shriek  at  Ralph  Travenion,  the  swell,  having  been  a 
Mormon !  Won't  the  champagne  flow  to  my  plural 
marriages  ?  Egad  !  it's  worth  while  to  take  these  risks, 
to  have  such  a  royal  story  to  tell  ! " 

"  Hush  ! "  cries  his  daughter,  sternly.  "  Remember  the 
poor  women  you  are  deserting."  A  moment  after  she 
says  more  slowly,  "  They  must  be  provided  for  as  soon 
as  you  are  safe." 

"  Oh,  they  will  have  plenty,"  answers  Ralph.  Then  he 
bursts  out  again,  "  I  leave  too  much  behind.  When  I 
think  of  what  I  have  paid,  year  by  year,  as  tithing  to 
the  infernal  Mormon  Church,  I  curse  it.  But  they  are 
tricked  at  the  last.  I'll  sell  the  control  of  their  pet  rail- 
road out  of  their  hands.  Hang  them,  I  could  dance  for 
joy  !  " 

With  these  words,  the  old  beau  skips  with  a  waltz 
step  to  the  bottom  of  the  incline.  Then  they  ascend,  the 
rope  aiding  their  steps,  and  the  pitch  not  being  very  steep, 
to  the  outer  air,  and  the  time  has  come  to  say  farewell. 

Pointing  to  a  white-topped  wagon  at  the  bottom 
of  the  hill,  Travenion  says  :  "  Quick  !  Give  your  father 
a  kiss,  and  pray  for  his  safety." 

The  girl  answers  :  "  One  hundred  !  "  and  throws  her- 
self into  his  arms,  and  murmuring  :  "  You  are  the  only 
man  who  ever  loved  me — the  only  one  !  Mormon  that 
you  have  been — polygamist  that  you  are — you  are  the 
only  one  who's  left  to  me  !  " 

For  she  has  been  looking  at  the  shaft  of  the  Mineral 
Hill  Mine,  upon  which  the  English  company  are  now 
commencing  to  work,  and  her  thoughts  are  on  the  man 
who  she  feels  has  deserted  her. 

Then,  as  Ralph  embraces  her,  a  shudder  runs  through 
her  ;  but  it  is  not  of  cold,  though  snow  is  falling,  but 
it  is  the  chill  of  her  heart  as  she  thinks  :  "  But  for  this 
man,  whose  lips  are  now  pressed  to  mine,  Harry  Law- 
rence would  not  despise  me !  " 


212  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

But  Travenion  mutters  in  her  ear  :  It  is  late  now — 
you  must  leave  at  once,  for  the  days  are  quite  short !  " 
and  beckons  Pioche  George  to  approach. 

"  You  can  trust  us,  bishop,  to  take  her  through," 
George  remarks,  noticing  the  old  man's  agitation  as  he 
gives  the  daughter  of  his  heart  his  last  kiss. 

Then  Erma  hurries  down  the  hill,  and  he,  sitting  on 
the  deserted  dump  pile  of  his  mine,  watches  her  until 
Pioche  George  lifts  her  into  the  wagon  and  it  drives 
away  over  the  snow-white  road,  making  across  the  West 
Tintic  Valley,  and  so  towards  Ophir  and  Tooele,  for 
Travenion  has  directed  them  to  go  by  this  somewhat 
roundabout  road,  to  avoid  any  chance  of  meeting 
Kruger,  perhaps  even  now  returning  from  his  errand  to 
the  heads  of  the  Mormon  theocracy  in  Salt  Lake. 

Looking  on  this  he  says  :  "  She  is  safe !  "  and  laughs  : 
"  I  will  be  safe  myself,  shortly !  Now  for  my  bachelor 
quarters  ! "  and  goes  slowly  again  into  the  mine. 

About  half  way  down  the  incline  he  starts,  pauses, 
and  listens,  muttering:  "I  thought  I  heard  a  noise." 
then  sneers  at  himself,  "  Some  stone  touched  by  your 
foot — you're  weak-kneed,  Ralph." 

Continuing  his  descent  and  holding  his  candle  in 
front  of  him,  he  comes  to  his  quarters,  where  he  says, 
looking  about:  "This  is  a  pretty  comfortable  spot 
to  kill  time  by  champagne,  a  weed,  and  a  novel." 

Which  he  does,  lighting  one  or  two  more  candles,  to 
give  him  better  illumination,  then  gently  sipping  the 
Clicquot,  between  puffs  of  a  Bouquet  Especial,  as  he 
turns  over  the  leaves  of  a  new  French  romance,  which 
seems  to  amuse  him  greatly. 

And  all  the  while,  from  the  darkness  of  the  level, 
beyond  the  incline,  two  red  eyes  glare  at  this  sybarite 
as  he  chuckles  over  the  jokes  of  Monsieur  Paul  de 
Kock. 

Turning  his  back  to  the  incline,  in  order   to  get  a 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  213 

better  light  upon  his  novel,  Ralph  sits  chuckling  over 
the  queer  conceits  of  the  gifted  Frenchman — the  red 
eyes  all  the  while  coming  nearer  to  him. 

As  Travenion  laughs  again,  a  heavy  step  sounds 
behind  him,  and  the  great  red  eyes  are  at  his  shoulder, 
looking  over  the  volume  with  him,  and  he  springs  up 
with  a  shriek,  for  Kruger's  voice  is  in  his  ears  crying, 
"Doomed  by  the  Church  !" 

Then  this  Mormon  fanatic  is  upon  him,  seizing  his 
arms,  and  bruising  his  more  tender  flesh,  chuckling  : 
"What's  champagne  muscle  to  grass-fed  muscle,  you 
dainty  cur  of  New  York  !  " 

And  though  Travenion  fights  as  men  only  fight  who 
are  fighting  for  their  lives,  he  pinions  him  and  makes 
him  helpless,  and  dashes  him  brutally  down. 

Looking  at  him,  the  old  club  man,  who  was  once  a 
Mormon  bishop,  tries  his  last  diplomacy.  He  gasps 
between  white  lips  and  chattering  teeth  :  "  This — to  a 
man  who  has  been  your  chum — your  companion — who 
is  your  brother  in  the  Church." 

"  Who  was  my  brother  in  the  Church  ! "  cries  Lot. 
"  But  we'll  discuss  the  affair  a  leetle.  With  ye're  per- 
mission, I'll  liquor." 

Knocking  the  head  off  a  bottle  of  Clicquot,  he  quaffs 
it  greedily  ;  the  one  Ralph  was  drinking  from  having 
been  thrown  down  in  the  struggle. 

Throwing  the  bottle  away  ;  as  it  crashes  to  the  other 
end  of  the  level,  he  remarks  with  a  hideous  leer  :  "  Now 
we'll  come  to  biz  once  more  ! " 

But  Ralph  answers  him  nothing. 

Then  Lot  laughs  :  "You  walked  into  yer  own  trap. 
You  thought  I'd  gone  to  Salt  Lake,  but  I  reckoned 
from  yer  break-out  of  last  night  that  yer  Utah  Central 
stock,  which  the  Mormon  Church  needs  and  will  have, 
was  here  in  yer  possession,  an'  made  up  my  mind  to 
locate  it.  I  knew  it  wa'n't  in  yer  safe,  'caust  I'd  seen 


214  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

that  open  too  often  lately.  I  reckoned  it  was  right  in 
this  mine,  and  I'd  been  hunting  over  this  place  all 
night  without  success.  But  in  the  mornin'  I  heard  a 
noise  on  the  trail,  and  I  seed  ye  and  yer  darter  comin' 
up,  an'  I  knowed  what  yer'd  come  for  !  An'  when  yer 
come  down  in  the  mine,  I  come  down  a  leetle  ahead  of 
yer,  and  spied  on  yer  from  that  drift,  an*  seed  yer  give 
that  stock  to  Ermie  to  take  away.  But  I'll  "tend  to 
her  afterwards." 

To  this  Travenion  sighs  :  "  My  daughter  !  " 

But  Kruger  goes  on  savagely  :  "  I  would  have  shot  yer 
while  yer  were  profanin',  if  it  hadn't  been  I  didn't  want 
to  shock  her  by  her  seein'  yer  die.  But  now,  I  love  yer 
so  well,  R.  H.  Tranyon,  I'm  goin'  to  fix  ye  !  " 

With  this,  he  takes  the  case  of  wine  and  hurls  it  to 
the  other  end  of  the  incline.  There's  a  crash,  anrd  Mar- 
gaux  and  Clicquot  trickle  over  the  stones  of  the  mine. 

Then  he  cries  :  "  Yer  won't  need  this ! "  and  throw- 
ing over  the  keg  of  water,  it  runs  to  waste  upon  the 
earth. 

"Neither  will  ye  want  pervisions  !  "  and  he  tosses 
the  old  club  man's  dainties  into  the  sink  of  the  mine 
at  the  bottom  of  the  incline,  keeping  a  big  buffalo 
tongue,  which  he  bites  and  eats,  talking  after  this, 
with  his  mouth  full,  which  makes  him  more  hideous 
and  awful,  as  he  jeers  :  "  I  ain't  had  no  breakfast 
— I'm  foragin'  on  the  enemy  of  the  Lord." 

"  My  God  !  What  do  you  mean  to  do  ?  "  gasps  Tra- 
venion, who  has  looked  on  with  eyes  that  are  growing 
bloodshot. 

"  Cut  ye  off  behind  the  ears — make  a  blood  atone- 
ment of  ye  !  You've  been  so  crafty  about  this,  no  one 
will  ever  know  you're  down  here  to  hunt  ye  up." 

Then  running  up  the  incline,  Lot  loads  the  two  cars 
standing  at  the  surface,  with  great  masses  of  rock  and 
boulders,  fanaticism  giving  him  increased  strength. 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  215 

Letting  them  run  down,  he  unloads  them,  and  once 
more  does  the  same,  unheeding  the  cries  of  the  man 
helpless  in  the  level  below. 

When  he  has  done  enough  of  this,  he  cuts  the 
cars  loose  at  the  surface,  and  they  come  crashing 
down,  and  block  up  the  incline.  Then  he  comes  down 
again  himself  and  piles  the  boulders  he  has  already  let 
down,  on  top  of  the  wrecked  cars,  blocking  Travenion 
from  the  outer  world. 

Noting  his  purpose,  Ralph  staggers  up,  bound  as  he 
is,  and  prays  :  "  Not  that !  Shoot  me — kill  me  another 
way  !  For  God's  sake,  NOT  THAT  !  " 

But  Kruger  cries  :  "  Powder  and  lead  cost  money  ! 
The  Church  is  too  poor  to  give  ye  an  easy  atonement." 
And  he  piles  the  rocks  up  to  the  pleading  wretch's 
shoulders. 

A  moment  after,  he  blows  out  every  candle,  save 
one,  to  light  him  in  the  finishing  touches  of  his  awful 
work  ;  when,  desperately  struggling,  Travenion  drags 
himself  to  the  barrier,  and  screams  :  "  My  God  !  You 
are  mad — you  don't  know  what  you  do  !  I'm  your 
old  friend  and  chum  !  " 

"  I'm  sacrificin'  you  here  on  the  altar,  where  I  heerd 
ye  blaspheme  your  religion  an'  your  prophets  !  That's 
what  I'm  doin'  !  " 

"  Mercy  !  Not  this  death !  "  gasp  the  white  lips, 
and  bloodshot  eyes  beseech  the  executioner,  looking 
over  the  barrier  rising  steadily  between  them. 

"Ye've  been  given  into  my  hands  by  Jehovah  and 
Brigham,  both  of  whom  ye've  blasphemed  !  "  cries 
Kruger,  piling  the  barrier  up  to  the  shuddering  man's 
neck. 

Then  he  goes  on  in  savage  mockery.  "  Ye'll  tell  no 
funny  anecdotes  and  sacrilegious  jokes  about  our  presi- 
dent, Brigham  Young,  and  our  prophet,  Joseph  Smith  ! 
Champagne  won't  flow  over  yer  infamous  apostasy,  in 


2l6  MISS    DIVIDENDS. 

the  Unity  Club.  It  will  be  a  rare  tale  to  tell  yer  chums 
Von  Punster  and  De  Beekman,  and  Travis,  an*  Larry 
Jerry,  of  how  yer  made  a  mockery  of  our  sainted  relig- 
ion, an'  jeered  us,  even  when  ye  preached  from  our 
altars  !  But  ye'll  never  tell  it  !  '  DEAD  MEN  TELL  NO 
TALES  ! '  : 

Then  the  barrier  is  up  to  Ralph  Travenion's  face, 
which  is  now  pale  as  the  flickering  candle  that  lights 
its  agonies.  Over  this  face  comes  one  pang  more  cruel 
than  the  others,  and  the  white  lips  sigh,  "  My  daugh- 
ter !  " 

"  Yer  darter — that's  the  p'int  !  I'll  look  after  her 
salvation.  She  shall  be  a  lamb  of  Zion.  I'll  take  her 
right  into  my  sheepfold." 

"  Powers  of  Heaven  !  What  do  you  mean  ? "  And 
the  wall  now  rises  above  his  mouth. 

"  I  sha'n't  be  hard  on  her,"  mocks  Kruger.  "  I'll  spare 
her  herding  and  cattle  work.  She  shall  do  chores  round 
the  house.  I'll  be  light  on  her,  I  will,  bishop,  for  I 
mean — "  He  whispers  three  words  into  the  fainting 
wretch's  ear,  who  reels  back  from  him  and  shrieks  : 
"  MY  GOD  !  NOT  THAT  !  " 

To  his  scream,  the  crashing  sounds  of  rocks  and  a  big 
boulder  make  answer,  and  the  light  of  this  outer  world 
leaves  Ralph  Travenion,  and  footsteps  are  heard  pass- 
ing away  along  the  echoing  level,  and  up  the  incline,  and 
the  old  club  exquisite,  bound  and  helpless,  is  left  alone 
in  darkness — not  to  the  torture  of  hunger,  for  of  that 
he  thinks  not — not  to  the  torment  of  thirst,  for  of  that 
he  cares  not — not  to  the  despair  of  certain  death,  though 
that  has  come  upon  him — but  to  the  agony  of  fearing 
that  the  daughter  of  his  heart  may  by  some  art  or  trick 
taste  the  awful  degradation  of  plural  marriage,  such  as 
he  as  Mormon  bishop  has  preached  and  sanctified  and 
has  meted  out  to  the  daughters  of  other  men. 


BOOK    III. 
OUT   OF  A    STRANGE    COUNTRY 


CHAPTER   XV. 

THE    SNOW-BOUND    PULLMAN. 

As  this  horror  is  taking  place  inside  the  earth,  Miss 
Travenion  and  her  two  escorts  on  its  surface  are  speed- 
ing over  the  snow  towards  Tooele. 

The  consideration  and  respect  with  which  she  is 
treated  by  these  two  rough-and-ready  fighters  of  many 
a  desperate  mining  battle  is  almost  oppressive  :  they 
are  so  exceedingly  polite. 

Every  time  he  addresses  her,  Patsey  Bolivar  takes  off 
his  hat.  Chancing  in  one  of  his  remarks  to  use  the 
word  "  infernal  "  (which  is  a  very  mild  expression  for  this 
gentleman),  Pioche  George  suavely  suggests  :  "  Don't 
ye  mind  Patsey's  high-flown  remarks,  miss.  I've  told 
him  if  he  uses  any  stronger  expression  than  a  plain 
'  damn  '  in  yer  presence,  that  I'll  perforate  him." 

"  Would  you  rob  me  of  one  of  my  guards  ? "  gasps  the 
girl. 

"  No,"  replies  George.  "  Patsey  an'  I  have  arranged 
that  any  discussion  between  us  shall  take  place  after 
we've  seen  ye  safe  through — as  we  will  ;  though  I 
reckon  we've  more  to  fear  from  snow  than  anything  else 
on  this  trip,  for  it  seems  as  if  a  blizzard  was  a-blowin' 
up." 


2l8  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

So  Miss  Travenion  journeys  on,  Patsey  sitting  on  the 
front  seat  and  driving,  and  Pioche  George,  who  is  beside 
him,  turning  round  to  her  and  regaling  Erma  with  anec- 
dotes of  his  frontier  experience,  some  of  which  are 
amusing,  and  nearly  all  of  them  horrible. 

About  two  hours  after,  Kruger  also  drives  furiously 
out  of  Eureka,  but  does  not  travel  the  same  route  as 
the  young  lady  he  is  in  pursuit  of — going  up  through 
Homansville  towards  Salt  Lake  City — the  most  direct 
route — but,  strange  to  say,  leaving  it,  and  taking  the 
road  to  his  right,  which  leads  on  to  Goshen,  then  Payson 
and  Prove,  for  he  intends  to  go  up  the  Prove  Canon 
to  Heber  City,  having  some  curious  affidavits  to  make 
that  he  dare  only  indulge  in  before  a  Mormon  judge. 
From  this  place  he  will  journey  rapidly  as  horseflesh 
can  take  him  to  Park  City,  and  then  to  Echo  Station 
on  the  Union  Pacific  Railway,  which  is  also  in  the 
Territory  of  Utah,  and  subject  to  the  domination  of  its 
judges. 

He  expects  to  encounter  Miss  Travenion  at  that  point, 
though  the  snow  that  delays  her  on  her  trip  will  hin- 
der him  a  great  deal  more,  going  up  Provo  Canon 
and  over  the  divide  to  Heber  City.  But  he  is  a  sturdy 
old  Mormon,  and  though  it  means  an  all-night  drive — 
part  of  the  way,  perhaps,  in  a  sleigh — he  does  not  care 
much  for  the  storm,  for  he  has  a  plot  in  his  head  that 
makes  him  rub  his  hands  and  chuckle,  even  when  the 
wind  blows  the  fiercest  and  the  snow  drifts  the  strongest. 

Shortly  after  he  has  turned  from  the  main  road  to 
Salt  Lake,  a  wagon  coming  down  from  that  city  car- 
ries Harry  Lawrence,  who  is  very  happy,  and  Ferdinand 
Chauncey,  who  is  very  tired  :  for  they  have  made  an 
all-night  drive,  and  had  they  been  five  minutes  earlier, 
would  have  encountered  Kruger,  to  his  astonishment, 
and,  perhaps,  to  theirs. 

As  they  come  up  to  the  cafion  leading  to  Homansville, 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  219 

Harry  cries  :  "  Ferdie,  in  half  an  hour  I'll  see  her  ! " 
then  mutters  :  "  My  Heaven  !  what  a  monster  of  ingrati- 
tude she  must  think  me  now  !  " 

"  Oh,  I'll  fix  that  for  you,  easy  enough  !  "  says  Ferdie 
confidently.  "  I'll  tell  her  how  you've  been  wandering 
all  over  California  after  us,  thinking  she  was  in  our  party. 
I  think  my  word  will  carry  you  through." 

Curiously  enough,  this  is  the  fact.  Lawrence,  full  of 
hope,  has  reached  San  P'rancisco,  to  find  the  Living- 
ston party  is  not  there.  They  have  gone  to  Belmont 
to  spend  a  few  days,  the  clerk  at  the  Grand  Hotel 
informs  him,  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Ralston,  the  banker ; 
a  gentleman  who,  at  this  time,  was  pouring  out  hospi- 
tality with  a  lavish  hand  to  prominent  visitors  to  Cali- 
fornia. 

Not  having  an  invitation,  Harry  is  compelled  to  re- 
main, and  await  their  return,  but  they  come  not.  After 
a  week  or  two,  he  discovers  that  they  have  gone  straight 
from  Belmont  to  the  Yosemite,  which  is  a  long  trip,  as 
there  are  few  railroads  in  the  State  at  this  time. 

Notwithstanding  this,  he  follows  them,  and  after 
four  days  of  staging  and  rough  riding,  finds  he  has 
missed  them  entirely ;  for  now  he  cannot  discover 
where  they  have  gone,  on  leaving  the  valley  of  the  cat- 
aracts. As  a  matter  of  fact,  they  have  journeyed  to 
Southern  California,  and  have  spent  a  couple  of  weeks 
at  the  great  cattle  ranch  of  Mr.  Beale,  near  the  Tejon 
Pass. 

So,  after  a  fruitless  visit  to  the  Big  Trees,  Lawrence 
concludes  to  return  to  San  Francisco,  knowing  that  the 
Livingston  party  must  ultimately  find  their  way  there, 
before  they  return  to  the  East. 

In  this  place,  which  was  just  beginning  to  get  ex- 
cited over  the  great  mining  boom  in  the  Belcher  and 
Crown  Point,  which  three  years  afterwards  gave  way  to 
the  still  greater  one  of  the  Consolidated  Virginia  and 


220  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

California,  in  which  many  fortunes  were  won,  and  more 
fine  ones  were  lost,  he  passes  two  anxious  weeks. 

Being  known  to  several  mining  men,  and  receiving 
telegram  from  Garter  that  the  first  one  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  had  been  paid  upon  his  mine  by  the  Eng- 
lish company,  and  he  can  draw  on  him  for  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars  at  sight,  he  goes  to  driving  away  thoughts 
of  his  errant  sweetheart,  by  taking  flyers  in  the  securi- 
ties of  the  San  Francisco  Stock  Board,  and  one  after- 
noon, purchasing  a  couple  of  hundred  shares  of 
"  Belcher  "  at  about  fifty — its  ruling  price  in  the  market 
at  that  time — he  pays  for  them,  and  puts  them  in  his 
pocket,  hoping  to  sell  them  on  the  morrow  at  a  few 
dollars  a  share  advance,  and  strolls  up  to  the  Grand 
Hotel,  for  that  is  where  the  Livingstons  have  stopped 
before,  and  will  probably  stay  on  their  return  to  San 
Francisco.  Therefore  he  makes  it  his  headquarters. 

Here  he  is  delighted  to  find  Mr.  Ferdinand  Chauncey 
playing  billiards. 

"  By  Jove,  Harry  !  What  are  you  doing  here  ?  "  cries 
this  young  gentleman,  who  has  become  very  familiar 
with  the  man  who  has  saved  his  life. 

"  Hunting  for  you,"  replies  Lawrence,  returning 
Ferdie's  warm  grip  very  cordially. 

"  Ah,  you've  come  to  tell  us  the  news,  I  suppose," 
laughs  Mr.  Chauncey.  Then  he  amazes  Lawrence  with 
the  query  :  "  How  is  she  ? " 

"  Who  ? " 

"  Erma  Travenion,  of  course — how  is  she  getting 
along  with  her  many  step-mammas  ?  " 

"  What  do  you  mean  ? "  ejaculates  Harry,  thinking 
Mr.  Chauncey  has  gone  daft. 

"  I  mean  what  I  say.  Innocence  won't  do.  Has  old 
Tranyon  given  you  his  mine  as  well  as  his  daughter  ? 
Ollie  and  his  mother  quarrel  every  day  over  his  deser- 
tion of  the  heiress.  The  widow  says  that  she  and 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  221 

Louise  won't  be  able  to  live  on  their  income  now,  and 
Oliver  has  turned  sullen,  and  says  if  they  can't,  Louise 
can  go  into  a  Protestant  nunnery.  So  that  young  lady 
is  in  despair." 

"What  the  dickens  do  you  mean?"  gasps  Harry. 
Then  he  says  :  "  Are  you  crazy  ? "  and  looking  into 
Ferdie's  face,  and  seeing  sanity  there,  suddenly  seizes 
him,  leads  him  apart,  and  commands  :  "  Tell  me  what 
you're  driving  at !  " 

Then  Mr.  Chauncey,  guessing  from  Lawrence's  man- 
ner that  he  does  not  know  what  has  happened,  tells  him 
what  took  place  in  Salt  Lake  the  evening  before  their 
departure,  to  which  Harry  listens  with  staring  eyes. 

As  Ferdie  closes,  he  suddenly  breaks  out  :  "  Now  I 
understand  ! — Tranyon's  deed  to  me — it  was  that  angel's 
doing  !"  Then  mutters  :  "  My  God  !  She'll  think  me 
a  monster  of  ingratitude  !  A  prig,  like  that  scalliwag 
up-stairs  ;  "  he  turns  up  his  thumb  towards  where  Mr. 
Livingston  is  supposed  to  be. 

To  this  Mr.  Chauncey  says  nothing,  though  his  eyes 
have  grown  very  large. 

After  a  second's  thought,  Lawrence  continues  very 
earnestly  :  "  You  say  I  saved  your  life.  May  I  ask  you 
a  favor  in  return  ? " 

"  Anything  !"  cries  Ferdie. 

"  Very  well  !  You  can  explain  this  matter  to  Erma 
Travenion,  so  that  she  will  know  that  I  followed  her 
for  love,  all  over  California,  and  did  not  desert  her  for 
pride,  because  she  was  the  daughter  of  a  Mormon,  in 
Utah.  Will  you  come  with  me,  and  make  that  explana- 
tion ?" 

"  Yes — when  ?" 

"  Now  !     The  train  leaves  in  an  hour." 

"  I  will,"  cries  Ferdie.  "  I  only  want  fifteen  minutes 
to  pack  my  trunk  and  explain  my  sudden  departure  to 
the  Livingstons." 


222  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

Which  he  does,  and  the  two  make  their  exit  from  San 
Francisco  on  the  afternoon  train,  and  two  days  after- 
wards find  themselves  in  Salt  Lake  City,  where  Ferdi- 
nand would  like  to  lay  over  for  a  night,  but  Lawrence 
says,  "  No  rest  while  she  thinks  me  ungrateful  !  " 

Despite  some  demur  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Chauncey,  he 
puts  him  into  a  light  wagon,  and  the  two  drive  all  night 
so  as  to  make  Eureka  in  the  morning,  which  they  do, 
some  two  hours  after  Mr.  Kruger  has  left  it. 

At  the  hotel,  seeing  neither  Tranyon  nor  his  daugh- 
ter, Lawrence  drags  Ferdie,  who  is  very  tired,  with  him 
up  the  trail  to  the  office  of  Zion's  Co-operative  Mine, 
and  says  :  "  You  go  in,  my  young  diplomat,  and  tell 
her  ;  I'll  wait  down  here  out  of  the  way." 

Which  he  does ;  but  a  few  minutes  after  Chauncey 
comes  back  and  reports  :  "  There's  no  one  there  !  " 

"  Nobody  ? " 

"  Not  a  living  soul  !  " 

Lawrence  investigating  this  and  finding  it  true,  they 
return  to  the  hotel  again  ;  but  to  Harry's  anxious  in- 
quiries, no  one  can  give  him  any  information  of  the 
whereabouts  this  day  of  Bishop  Tranyon  or  his  daugh- 
ter till,  after  two  hours'  search,  some  one  suggests  : 
"  They  may  be  up  at  the  mine." 

"  They're  not  working  that  now  ? "  says  Harry. 

"  No,  but  I  saw  the  bishop  and  his  daughter  go  that 
way  very  early  this  morning." 

This  information  is  enough  for  the  impetuous  Law- 
rence, and  he  again  drags  Mr.  Chauncey  up  the  trail  with 
him,  past  the  office  ;  and  one  hundred  yards  beyond 
they  come  to  the  dump  of  the  Zion's  Co-operative 
Mine,  but  the  place  seems  deserted. 

"  I  expect,  with  your  usual  luck,"  suggests  Ferdie, 
"  the  bishop  and  his  daughter  have  gone  back  to  Salt 
Lake  City,  and  we  have  missed  them  on  the  way.  Miss 
Erma  seems  a  pretty  hard  butterfly  for  you  to  track." 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  223 

But  Lawrence  suddenly  interrupts  him,  whispering  : 
"  Listen  !  There's  some  one  in  the  mine.  Perhaps 
they're  down  below." 

"  What  makes  you  think  that  ?  " 

"  I  hear  them." 

"  I  don't." 

"  But  I  do  !  Right  through  this  air-pipe,"  cries 
Harry,  and  he  springs  to  it,  and  disconnecting  the  fan 
from  it,  puts  his  ear  to  it.  A  moment  afterwards  he 
exclaims  :  "  There's  somebody  in  trouble  down  there  !  " 
and  the  next  moment,  disregarding  the  danger  of  foul 
air,  is  well  on  his  way  down  the  incline. 

Three  minutes  after,  he  reappears,  and  says  :  "  There's 
been  an  accident  of  some  kind.  Cars  have  broken 
loose  and  are  smashed  down  there  at  the  bottom,  and 
boulders  and  loose  rock  are  piled  up,  cutting  off  some- 
body. He's  alive  yet !  I  heard  him  moaning." 

Then  he  suddenly  whispers,  growing  very  pale  :  "  My 
God — if  it  is  she  !  "  Lovers  are  always  fearful.  Next 
he  cries  :  "  Run,  Ferdie,  up  to  the  Mineral  Hill — it's 
only  three  hundred  feet  from  here — tell  them  to  send 
down  half  a  dozen  miners  like  lightning  !  " 

And  Chauncey  flying  on  his  errand,  a  sudden  idea 
coming  into  Lawrence's  mind,  he  steps  to  the  air-pipe, 
and  using  it  as  a  speaking-tube,  shouts  down  :  "  Halloo 
there  !  Who  are  you  ?  Are  you  too  much  injured  to 
speak  ? " 

And  listening,  there  comes  up  to  him  from  the  depths 
faintly,  through  the  tube  :  "  I'm  uninjured,  but  am 
bound  and  helpless." 

"  Who  are  you  ? " 

"  R.  H.  Tranyon." 

To  this,  Harry  suddenly  screams  back  :  "  Your  daugh- 
ter ! — for  God's  sake,  tell  me  where  she  is  !  " 

"  Wrhy  should  I  tell  you  that  ?" 

"  Because  I'm  Harry  Lawrence  ! " 


224  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

And  through  the  tube  comes  faintly  up  to  him : 
"  Thank  God  !  You  are  here  to  save  her  !  " 

"  From  what  ?  My  Heaven  !  From  what  ?  "  shrieks 
Lawrence  down  the  tube. 

"  From  Lot  Kruger,  bishop  in  the  Mormon  Church, 
who  has  buried  me  here — who  is  now  pursuing  her  !  " 

"  Good  God  !     For  what  ? " 

"  To  marry  her  !  " 

"  Don't  fear  for  that  ! "  cries  Harry.  Then  he 
grinds  out  between  his  clenched  teeth  :  "  The  accursed 
polygamist  '11  be  dead  before  that  happens  ! "  A  second 
after  he  shouts  down  :  "  Give  me  the  particulars,"  and 
gets  them  up  the  tube.  Finally  he  says  :  "  How  long 
have  you  been  there  ?  " 

"I  can't  tell.  It  seems  days.  I  was  buried  here  on 
December  ist,  early  in  the  morning." 

"Why,"  cries  Harry,  joyfully:  "it's  December  ist 
NOW.  You  haven't  been  there  five  hours."  Then  he 
goes  on  :  "  Kruger's  only  four  hours  ahead  of  me.  You 
rest  quietly.  The  miners  will  have  you  out  in  two  or 
three  hours.  You  make  up  your  mind  your  daughter's 
safe,  if  it's  in  human  power  !  She  might  die,  but  never 
marry  Kruger." 

Here  Ferdie,  coming  back  with  some  miners,  is  very 
much  astonished  to  hear  Lawrence  say  hurriedly  to  him  : 
"  Get  the  men  down  that  incline.  Remove  the  rocks 
and  get  Tranyon  out  !  " 

"  And  you,"  cries  Chauncey,  "  where  are  you  going  ? " 
for  Harry  has  already  turned  to  leave  the  dump 
pile. 

"  To  save  his  daughter  ! "  And  before  the  last  word 
is  out  of  his  mouth,  Lawrence  is  speeding  down  the 
trail  to  Eureka,  where  in  twenty  minutes  he  gets  a  fresh 
team,  and  driving  through  the  storm,  which  has  now 
become  blinding,  and  through  the  night,  which  comes 
on  too  soon,  and  being  compelled  to  go  very  slowly, 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  225 

for  the  snow  is  drifting  heavily,  he  makes  Salt  Lake 
City  early  in  the  morning. 

Going  straight  to  the  Townsend  House,  Harry 
says  to  the  clerk  :  "Don't  make  any  mistake  this  time, 
young  man,  in  your  information.  Miss  Travenion  is 
here?" 

"  No,  not  here  !  " 

"  Good  Heavens  !  " 

"  She  was  here  last  night,"  says  the  clerk,  with  a  grin, 
"  but  drove  away,  five  minutes  ago,  to  catch  the  train 
for  Ogden,"  and  is  astonished  at  the  hurried  "  Thank 
you "  he  gets,  as  Lawrence  runs  out  to  his  wagon 
again. 

Clapping  a  ten  dollar  bill  into  the  sleepy  driver's 
hands,  Harry  cries:  "That'll  wake  you  up!  Utah 
Central  depot  like  lightning  !  " 

He  gets  there  just  in  time  to  board  the  train  as  it 
runs  out  of  the  station,  to  make  connection  with  the 
Union  Pacific  that  will  leave  Ogden  this  morning. 

She  is  not  in  his  car,  but  Harry  looks  into  the  next 
one,  and  seeing  the  young  lady  asleep,  mutters  :  "  She 
is  tired  also.  I'll  not  wake  her,"  then  suddenly  thinks  : 
"By  George!  How  shall  I  begin  the  business  ?  She 
must  despise  me  now  ! "  and  wishes  he  had  brought 
Ferdie  with  him  ;  though  he  laughs  to  himself:  "I  sup- 
pose it  would  have  killed  that  future  Harvard  athlete — 
two  nights'  steady  driving  and  no  rest  between  !  " 

Sitting  down  to  think  over  this  matter,  and  being 
overcome  with  weariness  himself,  sleep  comes  upon 
Harry  also,  and  he  doesn't  wake  even  after  the  train 
has  arrived  at  Ogden,  till  he  is  roused  by  the  brakeman. 
Looking  about  him,  he  gives  a  start.  Miss  Travenion 
has  disappeared. 

Muttering  to  himself  :   "  I'm  a  faithful   guardian — I 
keep  my  word  to  her  father  well  !    I  have  a  very  sharp 
eye  out  on    my  sweetheart !  "    he  runs    across    to  the 
15 


226  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

Union  depot,  and  is  relieved  to  see  that  the  young  lady 
is  in  the  office  of  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.,  expressing  a 
package. 

This  has  come  about  in  this  way  :  Erma  Travenion 
had  arrived  safely  in  Salt  Lake  City  at  ten  o'clock  on 
the  night  before.  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.  being  of  course 
closed,  she  could  not  deposit  the  Utah  Central  stock 
that  night. 

Knowing  that  speed  is  vital  to  her,  and  that  she  must 
have  money  for  her  trip  East,  she  drives  to  the  house  of 
Mr.  Bussey,  the  banker,  and  he  very  kindly  rushes  about 
town  for  her  and  gleans  up  from  friends  of  his  sufficient 
for  her  trip  East,  charging  her  for  same  on  her  letter  of 
credit. 

Asking  his  advice  about  an  express  package  that  she 
wishes  to  send — though  Erma  doesn't  state  its  contents 
— he  says  :  "  Take  it  with  you,  my  child,  to  Ogden.  At 
that  time,  before  the  Union  Pacific  train  leaves,  Wells, 
Fargo  &  Co.  will  be  open.  Express  it  from  there.  Their 
receipt  will  be  just  as  good  in  Ogden  as  in  Salt  Lake 
City." 

This  she  is  doing  while  Lawrence  is  looking  at  her. 
Her  appearance  makes  him  sigh.  Not  that  she  isn't  as 
beautiful  as  when  he  last  saw  her,  for  she  is  more  lovely, 
only  so  much  more  ethereal.  Her  eyes  are  too  brilliant, 
and  there  is  a  little  apprehension  in  them,  and  a  few 
lines  of  pain  on  her  face,  some  of  which,  Harry  has  a 
wild  hope,  are  perhaps  caused  by  him  ;  though  he 
grieves  over  them  just  the  same. 

As  she  comes  out  of  Wells,  Fargo's,  having  finished 
her  business  with  the  express  company — which  has 
taken  some  five  minutes,  the  transaction  being  a  heavy 
one,  and  the  receipt  very  formal — Lawrence,  with  rap- 
tu-e  in  his  heart,  and  love  in  his  eye,  approaches  to 
speak  to  his  divinity,  and  to  his  intense  chagrin,  gets  the 
very  neatest  kmd  of  a  cut.  The  girl  looks  him  straight 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  227 

in  the  face — with  haughty  eyes  that  never  flinch, 
though  there  is  no  recognition  in  them. 

So  passing  on  her  way,  she  buys  her  tickets,  and 
makes  arrangements  for  her  sleeping-car. 

This  catastrophe  has  been  brought  about  as  follows  : 
While  standing  waiting  for  the  receipt  from  Wells, 
Fargo  &  Co.,  Erma  has  caught  the  conversation  of  two 
men  who  are  standing  just  outside  its  door. 

One  of  them  says  :  "  Who  is  she  ? "  for  Miss  Trave- 
nion's  beauty  has  attracted  his  attention. 

The  other,  a  mining  man  who  has  seen  her  with  the 
bishop  in  Eureka,  answers  :  "  Tranyon  the  boss  Mor- 
mon's daughter." 

"  Impossible  !  " 

"  Fact,  I  assure  you,"  laughs  the  second  man.  "  From 
the  airs  she  puts  on,  you'd  think  she  was  a  New  York 
or  St.  Louis  belle.  But  I  believe  she's  booked  for  the 
seventh  wife  of  old  Kruger.  These  Mormon  girls  have 
no  brains !  I  guess  readin',  writin',  an'  'rithmetic's 
about  the  extent  of  her  education." 

This  decidedly  slurring  description  of  the  belle  of 
Newport's  last  season  makes  the  girl  think  every  one 
despises  her  ;  and  seeing  Lawrence,  and  remembering 
his  desertion,  she  sighs  :  "  He  despises  me  also — but  he 
shall  never  show  it  to  me — NEVER  !  "  And  so  passes 
him  as  if  she  had  never  seen  him. 

Striving  to  eat,  but  finding  she  has  no  appetite,  Erma 
goes  almost  timidly  to  the  train,  where  she  has  engaged 
a  stateroom,  for  she  thinks  the  whole  world  is  talking 
about  her  father  and  herself,  in  about  the  same  language 
she  has  heard,  and  shrinks  from  public  gaze  and  public 
scoff.  She  is  happy  to  get  to  the  privacy  of  her  state- 
room unnoticed — which  is  not  difficult,  every  one  about 
the  station  being  excited  and  busy. 

The  snow  is  still  falling  heavily  on  the  tracks,  and 
the  Central  Pacific  is  behind  time.  Finally,  getting  a 


228  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

telegram  that  the  train  on  the  more  western  road  has 
been  detained  by  snow  on  the  Sierra  Nevada  and 
Pequop  Mountains,  and  is  ten  hours  late,  the  Union 
Pacific  pulls  out  of  the  station,  one  hour  behind  its 
time. 

Just  then  the  privacy  of  Miss  Travenion's  stateroom 
is  invaded  by  Buck  Powers,  on  his  business  tour  through 
the  train. 

He  says  in  resonant  voice  :  "  How  are  you  off  for 
peanuts  ?  They're  the  only  fruit  that's  in  season  now." 

"  I  don't  wish  any,"  she  replies,  quietly. 

"  Won't  you  have  some  candy,  or  chewing  gum  ? 
You  look  as  if  you  needed  somethin'." 

Seeing  this  is  declined  by  a  shake  of  the  head,  he 
suggests :  "  That  fire  must  have  given  you  the  blues, 
like  it  did  me." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  asks  Erma,  a  little  startled. 

"  Why,"  cries  Buck,  "  don't  you  know  it's  been  burnt 
down  six  weeks  ?  There  ain't  no  Chicago,  but  it  made 
the  highest  old  fire  the  world  has  ever  seen." 

"  Oh,  that's  what  you're  referring  to  !  "  murmurs  the 
young  lady,  who  in  her  own  troubles  has  failed  to 
remember  the  destruction  of  the  great  Western  city. 
Then  she  astounds  the  news-agent  by  adding,  "  I  had 
forgotten  that  it  was  burnt." 

"  You — had — forgotten — the  Chicago  fire  !  Great 
Scott  !  You'd  do  for  a  museum  !  "  he  gasps.  Then  he 
says  interrogatively  :  "  You  remember  me,  Buck  Powers, 
don't  you  ?  " 

She  answers  :  "  Yes,  very  well, — you're  the  news- 
boy who  was  injured  by  accident  on  the  train.  Cap- 
tain Lawrence  saved  you." 

"  Well,  I'm  relieved  that  you  ain't  forgot  every- 
thing !  "  he  returns,  and  a  moment  after  leers  at  her 
and  says  :  "  The  Cap's  on  the  train.  I  reckoned  when 
I  saw  you  he  wouldn't  be  very  far  away,"  and  goes 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  229 

off  whistling  merrily,  though  he  leaves  a  sad  heart 
behind  him. 

As  for  Lawrence,  for  one  moment  he  has  savagely 
thought,  "  She  is  safe  on  this  Union  Pacific  train.  Why 
should  I  follow  her,  to  get  more  cuts?"  But  the  next 
second  he  remembers  :  "  She  does  not  know, — she 
thinks  me  worse  than  Livingston,  for  he  is  only  a 
prig  to  her,  while  I  seem  an  ingrate.  She  practically 
gave  me  fortune.  Shall  I  desert  her  for  a  snub  that 
she  thinks  I  deserve  ?  Never  !  " 

After  a  little,  joy  comes  to  him  again  ;  he  remembers  : 
"  Her  father  said  '  Thank  God  ! '  when  he  heard  my 
name.  She  told  him  of  me  six  weeks  ago.  She  shall 
think  of  me  again  !  " 

So  he  has  bought  tickets  for  the  East,  and  boarded 
the  train,  which  is  now  running  up  Weber  Canon  rather 
slowly,  as  the  grade  is  quite  heavy,  and  the  snow-drifts 
are  multiplying  and  piling  up  on  the  road  at  a  great 
rate. 

An  hour  afterwards,  going  into  the  smoking-car,  to 
kill  time  by  a  cigar,  Harry  looks  out  of  the  window, 
and  they  are  at  Echo. 

As  the  train  begins  to  move  again  he  suddenly  starts 
and  mutters  :  "  By  George  !  I  did  right  to  come  !  He 
is  on  her  track  !  " 

For  just  as  the  train  is  pulling  out  of  this  station,  he 
sees  dashing  down  the  old  stage  road  from  Park  City 
a  sleigh  drawn  by  two  horses,  in  which  four  men  are 
gesticulating  for  the  conductor  to  hold  up.  But  that 
official,  who  is  standing  near  Lawrence,  says  grimly  : 
"  What  !  Pull  the  check  line  for  Mormon  mossbacks 
who'll  get  off  at  the  next  station,  when  the  train  is  two 
hours  late  and  snow-drifts  ahead — not  much  !  "  And 
the  train  rolls  on,  followed  by  some  very  savage  curses 
from  the  men  in  the  sleigh. 

One  of  these,  Harry  notes,  is  Kruger,  and  he  chuckles 


230  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

to  himself  :  "  Left  behind  !  He  won't  overtake  us  this 
side  of  Chicago!  However,  it's  just  as  well  I'm  on 
board  !  " 

An  hour  after  they  pass  the  Utah  line,  and  come  into 
Evanston  two  and  a  half  hours  late.  Here  they  take 
dinner,  and  meet  the  train  from  the  East  that  left  Green 
River  in  the  morning.  This  reports  very  heavy  snows 
on  Aspen  Hill. 

Lawrence,  however,  makes  no  attempt  at  further 
communication  with  Miss  Travenion,  reflecting  sav- 
agely :  "  Perhaps  before  this  trip  is  over,  Miss  Haughty 
may  need  my  aid,  and  call  on  me,  and  then  I'll  explain." 

So  they  pass  up  the  valley  of  the  Bear,  the  storm 
getting  wilder,  and  the  snow  deeper,  as  they  pull  up  the 
heavy  grades,  and  it  is  night  before  they  reach  Aspen, 
though  they  have  two  strong  locomotives  dragging 
them. 

Then  they  come  to  the  Aspen  Y,  which  is  the  top  of 
the  divide,  and  from  which  there  is  a  down  grade  run- 
ning almost  to  Green  River. 

But  this  part  of  the  road  is  a  difficult  one  to  get  over. 
Two  locomotives  are  not  considered  too  much  for  its 
grade  when  there  is  no  snow  on  the  track  ;  now  they 
can  just  handle  the  train,  the  track  being  slippery, 
and  the  snow-drifts  heavy  and  increasing. 

It  is  usual  to  make  a  flying  switch  at  this  point — one 
engine  detaching  itself  from  the  train  and  entering  the 
Y,  leaving  one  locomotive,  which  is  amply  sufficient 
under  ordinary  circumstances,  to  take  care  of  a  train  on 
the  steep  down  grade,  which  begins  at  this  place. 

To-night  the  two  locomotives  should  both  remain 
attached  to  the  train,  and  pull  it  entirely  over  the 
divide  together — the  helping  engine  being  compelled, 
of  course,  to  go  on  as  far  as  the  next  station,  Piedmont. 

But  the  conductor,  being  a  man  of  routine,  does  it  in 
his  ordinary  summer  way,  by  the  flying  switch,  and 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  231 

sends  the  helping  locomotive  away.  This  giving  its 
warning  toot,  uncouples  from  the  second  engine,  runs 
ahead  of  it,  and  making  a  switch  into  the  Y,  is  ready 
for  its  return  to  Evanston. 

But  the  single  locomotive  now  attached  to  the  train 
has  not  steam  to  carry  it  over  the  divide  ;  its  wheels 
gradually  revolve  more  slowly,  the  efforts  of  the  great 
iron  beast  become  more  and  more  labored,  and  finally 
the  train  comes  to  a  dead  standstill,  fifty  yards  from 
where  the  grade  commences  to  descend. 

Then,  when  too  late,  the  other  locomotive  comes  back 
and  goes  to  its  assistance ;  but  the  train  has  stopped — 
the  drifts  gradually  closing  in  round  the  wheels — and 
now  both  locomotives  cannot  move  what  they  could 
have  together  carried  certainly  over  the  mountain. 

Though  the  attempt  is  made  again  and  again,  the 
train  is  stalled,  and  the  snow  comes  down  faster  and 
faster  and  drifts  deeper  and  deeper.  Fortunately,  the 
failure  of  the  Central  Pacific  to  connect,  has  produced 
a  very  light  passenger  list.  Harry  notices  there  are 
only  three  in  his  sleeper — a  consumptive,  going  to 
Colorado,  and  a  lady  tourist  and  her  child,  a  boy  of 
about  ten,  who  have  been  seeing  Salt  Lake  City. 

On  the  Pullman  occupied  by  Miss  Travenion  there 
is  only  one  other  traveller — a  young  girl  who  is  being 
forwarded  to  an  Eastern  school  by  Gentile  parents  con- 
nected with  the  Union  Pacific  Railway,  in  Ogden. 

These,  however,  after  a  little,  set  up  a  wail.  It  is  for 
supper,  which  the  conductor  grimly  informs  them  is 
waiting  for  them  at  Green  River,  ninety  miles  away. 

Then  comes  the  triumph  of  Chicago  business  meth- 
ods, and  Buck  Powers,  issuing  from  the  baggage  car, 
cries  dominantly  :  "  PIES  ! !  Beefsteak  pies  ! — Mutton 
pies  ' — Dried-apple  pies  !  PIES  !  !  " 

Going  to  him,  Lawrence  says  anxiously :  "  Have  you 
looked  after  her  ?" 


232  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

"Do  you  think  I'd  let  Miss  Beauty  starve?"  utters 
the  boy  in  stern  reproach.  "  I  have  provisioned  her 
stateroom  for  two  days.  She's  got  three  beefsteak  pies, 
two  mutton  hash  pasties,  two  pork  turnovers,  and  six 
assorted  jam  and  fruit  tarts,  as  well  as  a  dozen  apples. 
I  have  done  my  duty  to  her,  though  you  haven't. 
You've  left  her  alone  all  to-day — you  ain't  been  near 
to  jolly  her  up.  She  needs  chinning,  she  does.  I  have 
had  to  step  into  your  shoes  and  comfort  her !  " 

"Oh,  you  have,  have  you?"  returns  Harry.  "Thank 
you  !  " 

"  Well,  I'm  right  glad  you're  grateful ! "  remarks 
Buck.  "  More  so,  perhaps,  than  she  is,  for  when  I  asked 
her  if  she'd  seen  Brother  Brigham  at  Salt  Lake,  and 
how  she  thought  she'd  like  to  be  a  Mormon — I  always 
ask  these  questions  of  tourists  coming  from  Salt  Lake — 
she  rose  up,  a  kind  of  mixture  of  the  Statue  of  Liberty 
and  my  old  schoolmarm  in  Indianie,  and  said,  '  Please 
continue  your  business  tour  at  once  ! '  So  I  got  a  move 
on,  quick.  The  next  time  I  passed  by,  her  eyes  were 
red,  as  if  she'd  been  crying.  I  don't  think  you've  been 
doing  your  duty,  Cap  !  " 

With  this  the  boy  goes  on  his  way,  leaving  Lawrence 
rather  elated  at  his  information,  for  he  shrewdly  guesses 
that  if  Miss  Travenion  is  in  any  very  great  trouble,  she 
is  more  likely  to  call  upon  him  than  any  one  else  to  help 
her  out  of  it.  Knowing  that  she  is  well  provisioned 
and  taken  care  of,  some  hour  or  two  after  this,  he  hav- 
ing nothing  else  to  do,  goes  to  bed,  something  the  other 
passengers  have  already  done. 

Next  morning,  looking  out  of  the  car  window,  Harry 
finds  the  snow  deeper  than  ever,  and  still  falling,  and 
the  train  stalled  more  hopelessly  than  ever  at  the 
Aspen  Y,  now  known  on  railroad  maps  as  Tapioca. 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  333 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

"  TO     THE     GIRL     I     LOVE  !  " 

GETTING  dressed,  Lawrence  negotiates  with  Buck 
Powers  for  another  pie  for  breakfast. 

That  worthy  informs  him  that  "  provisions  has  riz  " 
during  the  night.  "  There  ain't  enough  for  another 
round,"  he  says.  "  If  you  weren't  the  Cap  I  should 
charge  you  double." 

"  Then  we  shall  all  be  hungry  soon — unless  relief 
comes  ? "  asks  Harry,  as  he  briskly  attacks  a  pork  turn- 
over, for  the  crisp,  snowy  air  produces  a  mountain 
appetite. 

"  All  but  her,"  remarks  Buck.  "  She's  fixed  as  I  told 
you ! " 

Thinking  he  will  see  what  chance  there  is  of  im- 
mediate relief  from  their  present  predicament,  Lawrence 
lights  a  cigar,  and  steps  off  the  train  into  a  snow-drift. 
A  hasty  examination  shows  there  is  no  chance  of  the 
train  being  moved,  until  it  is  shovelled  out  by  hand, 
though  he  is  pleased  to  note  that  the  sun  has  come  out, 
shining  brightly,  and  the  snow  has  ceased  falling  for 
the  present. 

A  moment  after,  he  gives  an  exclamation  of  delight, 
for  the  view  is  a  very  beautiful  one. 

To  the  south,  standing  out  against  the  horizon,  and 
looking  much  nearer  than  they  are,  stand  the  Uintah 
Mountains,  dark  blue  at  their  base  line  with  pine 
forests,  and  white  with  eternal  snow  on  their  peaks. 
From  them,  right  to  his  feet,  an  unbroken  tableland 
of  one  solid  mass  of  white.  Midway  between  these 
mountains  and  himself,  runs  the  Utah  line,  and  some- 
how— though  the  idea  hardly  forms  itself  in  his  mind — 
he  would  sooner,  on  account  of  the  young  lady  he  is 
protecting,  it  were  further  away,  especially  when  he 


234  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

remembers  that  it  is  but  very  little  over  twenty  miles 
by  the  railroad  over  which  they  have  come,  from  the 
boundaries  of  the  Mormon  Territory.  He  doesn't  think 
long  of  this,  as  he  gets  interested  in  watching  the 
movements  of  the  locomotives. 

These  are  now  both  switched  on  the  Y  and  are  mov- 
ing about  slowly,  with  a  view  of  keeping  themselves 
what  is  technically  called  "  alive  " — that  is,  their  steam 
up,  sufficient  to  give  them  power  of  motion.  Every 
now  and  again  one  is  run  off  the  Y  and  down  the  main 
track  towards  Green  River  and  the  east,  keeping  that 
portion  of  the  road  open,  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  a  long 
snow  shed,  which  begins  a  little  way  from  where  Harry 
stands,  and  disappears  in  the  distance  towards  Pied- 
mont. 

Towards  the  east  and  north  he  can  see  a  long  dis- 
tance, as  the  descent  is  quite  rapid  to  the  big  plateaus 
that  run  to  Green  River,  but  there  is  nothing  given 
to  his  eye  save  snow — snow  everywhere. 

A  moment  after,  the  conductor  comes  tramping 
through  the  drifts,  and  knowing  Captain  Lawrence  by 
reputation,  stops  to  speak  to  him. 

"  I  presume,"  says  Harry,  "  you  wired  our  situation 
to  Evanston  last  night." 

"  Of  course,  and  a  nice  tramp  I  had  of  it  to  the 
telegraph  station.  It's  over  a  mile  back,  and  the  drifts 
made  it  seem  five.  Every  one  from  here  to  Ogden, 
along  the  track,  by  this  time  knows  our  position." 

"  I  suppose  they'll  be  sending  up  a  relief  train  soon." 

"  I  hardly  think  so,  before  to-morrow,"  replies  the 
conductor.  "  They  have  got  all  they  can  take  care  of, 
down  below  at  Evanston,  just  at  present.  In  fact,  I 
imagine  we've  not  seen  the  worst  of  it." 

And  this  is  a  shrewd  prediction,  because,  though  he 
doesn't  know  it,  this  is  just  the  beginning  of  the  great 
snow  blockade  of  '71  and  '72,  on  the  Union  Pacific 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  235 

Railway,  when  some  trains  were  delayed  for  thirty  days 
between  Ogden  and  Omaha — the  usual  time  being  less 
than  three. 

"Fortunately,  we've  not  got  a  heavy  train  to  move," 
remarks  Lawrence,  who  is  anxious  to  look  on  the  best 
side  of  everything. 

"  And,  thank  God  !  no  great  amount  of  passengers," 
replies  the  conductor.  "  Otherwise  there  would  have 
been  a  howl  for  grub  before  now.  We've  only  got  two 
outside  those  on  the  sleepers,  and  one  is  a  woman,  and 
the  other  a  little  girl,  the  daughter  of  the  engineer 
of  the  helping  locomotive.  He's  got  her  in  his  arms 
now,  as  he  stands  by  his  engine.  Come  over  and  see 
what  he  thinks,"  adds  the  autocrat  of  the  train,  as  he 
trudges  off  through  the  snow  towards  one  of  the  loco- 
motives on  the  Y. 

Harry  has  taken  a  step  to  follow  him,  when  he  sud- 
denly pauses. 

He  is  just  outside  Miss  Travenion's  Pullman  car,  and 
now,  through  a  window  that  is  slightly  open,  comes 
the  voice  of  his  divinity,  who  is  seated  at  one  of  the 
organs  those  cars  sometimes  had  in  those  days. 

Curiously  enough,  the  girl  whom  Buck  had  reported 
as  having  the  blues  last  night,  is  singing  the  brightest 
and  merriest  of  ditties  this  morning. 

"  By  George  !  It  must  be  because  she  has  plenty  to 
eat,"  cogitates  Lawrence,  lighting  another  cigar  on  the 
question. 

But  a  few  minutes  after,  in  his  own  car,  Mr.  Powers 
chancing  to  come  along,  he  gets  some  information 
which  he  thinks  elucidates  the  matter. 

"  She's  kind  o'  joyous  in  there,  ain't  she,  Cap  ? "  says 
Buck,  with  a  grin.  "  An'  I  reckon  I  did  it  !  " 

"How?" 

"  Well,  this  morning,  even  over  her  breakfast,  which 
was  a  long  way  ahead  of  any  one  else's  on  the  train,  she 


236  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

didn't  have  no  appetite,  and  seemed  in  the  dumps ; 
whereupon,  I  suggested  that  I  had  hinted  to  you  that 
she'd  kind  o'  like  company  probably." 

"  You  infernal —  !  "  cries  Lawrence,  fire  coming  into 
his  eye. 

"  If  you  take  hold  o'  me,  Cap,  I  won't  tell  you  the 
rest !  "  remarks  the  boy,  retreating  a  little  before  Harry's 
anger.  Then  he  goes  on  :  "  She  took  it  something  like 
you — she  got  red  in  the  face  and  said  :  '  Please  don't 
mention  the  matter ! '  quite  haughty.  Whereupon  I 
thought  I'd  guessed  the  p'int,  and  suggested  :  '  You 
an'  the  Cap  must  have  been  havin"  a  smash-up  in  Cali- 
fornia ! '  And  then  she  got  real  anxious  and  nervous, 
and  cried  out  at  me  :  '  In  California  ! — what  do  you 
mean  ? '  So  I  told  her  how  I'd  seen  you  at  Ogden,  four 
or  five  days  after  her  party  left  for  California,  and  that 
I'd  told  you  she'd  gone  West,  and  you  took  the  journey, 
I  reckoned,  to  catch  up  to  her." 

"  And  she — "  says  Lawrence,  eagerly. 

"  Oh,  she  kept  on  questioning,  and  the  more  I  told 
her,  the  better  pleased  she  looked,  and  since  then  she 
has  been  quite  chirpy,  so  I  reckon  I  produced  her  high 
spirits." 

"  God  bless  you,  Buck  !  "  cries  Harry,  slapping  the 
boy  on  the  shoulder,  and  the  astonished  Arab  of  the 
railway  moves  off  with  a  five-dollar  greenback  in  his 
hand,  wondering  what  made  the  Cap  so  liberal. 

As  for  Lawrence,  it  has  suddenly  occurred  to  him 
that  Buck  Powers  has  given  Miss  Travenion  the  exact 
information  he  had  taken  Ferdie  from  California  to  tell 
her. 

A  moment's  cogitation  and  he  says  to  himself  :  "  She 
was  wounded  because  I  hadn't  come  to  Tintic  after  her. 
I'll  chance  a  walk  through  the  car,  and  see  if  the  dar- 
ling '11  cut  me  again." 

Acting  on  this  impulse,  he  gets  off  the  train,  and 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  237 

walks  to  the  forward  end  of  her  car,  Miss  Travenion's 
stateroom  being  at  its  rear. 

"  I'll  give  her  the  length  of  the  car  to  meditate  upon 
me,"  he  thinks. 

As  he  enters  the  main  portion  of  the  Pullman,  her 
stateroom  door  is  open,  and  as  he  comes  down  the 
aisle,  Erma  rises.  He  knows  she  has  seen  him — some- 
thing in  her  face  tells  him  that. 

Then  intense  surprise  falls  upon  him  : — the  young 
lady  steps  out  with  extended  hand,  and  says  brightly  : 
"  So  you  have  discovered  I  was  on  the  train  at  last  ? 
I  had  been  expecting  a  visit  from  you  all  yesterday." 

At  this  tremendous  but  most  feminine  prevarication, 
Lawrence  fairly  gasps.  A  second  after,  he  discovers 
the  wonderful  tact  displayed  in  it,  which  calls  for  an  ex- 
planation from  him,  and  does  not  require  one  from  her. 

However,  he  is  too  awfully  happy  to  stand  on  little 
points,  and  seizing  the  taper  fingers  of  the  young  lady, 
and  giving  her  tact  for  tact,  and  prevarication  for  pre- 
varication, remarks  :  "  You  most  certainly  would  have, 
Miss  Travenion,  but  I  only  discovered  that  you  were 
on  board  this  morning,  from  Buck  Powers." 

"  Why,"  cries  Erma,  "  I  saw  you  at —  "  She  checks 
herself  suddenly,  biting  her  lips  a  little,  and  then  goes 
on  :  "  We've  been  near  each  other  a  whole  day,  and 
have  not  spoken." 

"  That's  a  great  pity  !  But  we'll  make  up  for  lost 
time,  now  !  "  answers  Lawrence,  gallantly.  Then  he 
suggests  :  "  What  did  you  breakfast  on  ?  " 

"  Pies  ! " 

"  So  did  I — our  tastes  are  similar,"  he  laughs,  for 
there  is  something  in  the  radiant  face  looking  into  his 
that  makes  him  think  this  snow  blockade,  privations 
and  all,  is  the  very  nicest  thing  that  has  come  into  his 
life. 

A  moment  after,  for  he  is  too   earnest  for  any  more 


238  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

light  comedy  fencing,  he  comes  to  the  point  with  mas- 
culine abruptness,  remarking  :  "  Mr.  Powers  told  you 
— God  bless  him  ! — that  I  have  been  in  California  ? " 

"  Yes." 

"I  got  this  little  note" — he  produces  her  card  with 
the  "  I  have  seen  my  father.  Good-bye  "  sentence  on 
it — "  in  Salt  Lake  City,  and  presumed  you  had  gone 
to  California  with  the  Livingstons.  I  was  then  poor. 
Four  days  afterwards,  I  suddenly  found  myself  as- 
tounded and  rich.  I  did  not  ask  how  it  came — I  was 
too  anxious  to  make  use  of  my  money.  I  thought  a 
tour  of  '  the  Golden  State  '  would  please  me." 

Then  he  goes  on  hurriedly  and  tells  her  of  his  wan- 
derings in  pursuit  of  the  Livingston  party,  and  his  un- 
expected interview  with  Ferdie  at  the  Grand  Hotel, 
omitting,  however,  his  journey  to  Tintic  and  his  rescue 
of  her  father,  as  he  doesn't  wish  to  alarm  or  make  Erma 
think  she  is  under  obligation  to  him. 

"Ah  ! "  falters  the  girl,  very  pale,  and  turning  her  face 
away  from  him.  "  Then  you  know — I'm  the  daughter 
of  Tranyon — the  Mormon  bishop  ? " 

"  Yes,"  he  cries  ;  "  that  is  what  brought  me  from 
California  in  such  a  hurry  ;  I  wanted  to  thank  you  for 
giving  me  what  I  would  probably  have  never  got  with- 
out you — a  fortune." 

"Oh!  it  was  gratitude,"  murmurs  the  young  lady, 
"  that  brought  you  from  California  ? "  A  moment  after 
she  coldly  says  :  "  That  sentiment  need  not  actuate 
you.  I  simply  induced  my  father  to  do  you  justice," 
and  from  now  on  is  very  icy  ;  for  Erma  Travenion  de- 
mands the  love,  not  the  gratitude,  of  this  young  gentle- 
man beside  her. 

This  sudden  change  in  his  divinity  astounds  Law- 
rence, who  has  not  been  a  student  of  woman's  ways. 
Inadvertently  he  puts  himself  right  again,  for  he  sud- 
denly says  :  "  Did  I  know  that  I  had  anything  to  be 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  239 

grateful  to  you  for,  when  I  wandered  about  California 
seeking  you — six  weeks?" 

"  Oh !  "  cries  the  young  lady,  "  that  was  before  you 
knew  my  father  was  R.  H.  Tranyon,  the  Mormon 
bishop?"  This  last  quite  haughtily,  for  she  has  grown 
fearfully  sensitive  on  this  point  since  the  conversation 
of  the  two  mining  gentlemen  in  Ogden. 

"  But,"  remarks  Lawrence,  "I  know  that  now."  Then, 
growing  desperate,  he  blurts  out  :  "  Shall  I  tell  you  why 
I  went  to  California?"  and  his  voice  grows  very  tender. 

But  the  girl,  suddenly  rising,  says  with  a  curious  mix- 
ture of  haughtiness  and  humility,  perhaps  shame  :  "  To 
whom  do  you  wish  to  tell  your  tale  ? — Erma  Travenion, 
of  New  York,  or  to  Miss  Tranyon,  who  has  been  called 
a  Mormon  '  gal,'  and  who  is  reported  to  be  booked 
as  the  seventh  wife  of  Bishop  Kruger  of  Kammas 
Prairie  ?  "  Then  she  cries  mockingly,  almost  savagely, 
"Which  are  you  talking  to?" 

"  To  the  girl  I  love  !  "  cries  Lawrence. 

"  O-oh  !" 

"  To  the  girl  I'd  make  my  wife  if  she  were  the  daugh- 
ter of  Beelzebub,  and  booked  for  the  seventh  consort 
of  Satan  !  " 

"  O-o-o-oh  !  "  With  this  sigh  Erma  sinks  on  the  seat 
again  ;  a  moment  after  she  suddenly  smiles  and  mur- 
murs :  "  Don't  make  my  pedigree  worse  than  it  is  !  " 

"  Would  you  like  to  hear  the  tale  I  took  with  me  to 
California,  and  have  carried  ever  since  in  my  heart  ? " 
says  Harry,  bending  over  this  young  lady,  whose  face 
is  hiding  its  blushes,  turned  towards  the  car  window, 
upon  whose  frosted  panes  her  white  ringer  is  making 
figures. 

"  Y-e-s  !  " 

Then  he  tells  her  how  he  has  loved  her  since  the 
night  he  first  saw  her  at  Delmonico's,  and  mutters  : 
"  Give  me  your  answer  !  " 


240  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

"  My  answer  ;  "  murmurs  Erma,  turning  a  face  to 
him  that  is  half  hope,  half  uncertainty,  all  love,  "  if  I 
were  what  I  was  that  evening  in  New  York,  would 
be " 

"  Yes  !  "  he  cries,  and  has  his  hasty  frontier  arm  half 
round  the  fairy  waist  of  last  summer's  Newport  belle  ; 
for  there  is  something  in  her  lovely  eyes  that  many  men 
have  looked  for,  but  no  one  has  ever  seen  till  now. 

But  she  rises  and  falters,  "  Wait  !  " 

"  How  long  ?  " 

"Wait  till  I  know  you're  sure  you  will  never  feel 
ashamed  of  the  Mormon's  daughter  !  Oh  ! — oh  !  can't 
you  wait  one  min —  !  "  For  Harry  has  not  waited,  and 
the  girl's  last  word  as  it  issues  from  her  rosy  mouth  is 
smothered  by  an  audacious  black  moustache  that  she 
can  parry  no  longer.  And  perchance  those  lovely  coral 
lips  return  his  betrothal  kiss — a  very  little  : — at  least 
Harry  thinks  so.  A  moment  after  he  knows  it ;  for 
Erma  Travenion,  though  very  hard  to  win,  having 
given  her  hand  does  not  hesitate  to  make  her  sweet- 
heart very  sure  he  has  also  her  heart. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

A    VOICE    IN    THE    NIGHT. 

INTO  this  Elysium,  Buck  Powers,  who  has  been  one  of 
its  architects,  breaks  with  news-boy  rapidity.  The  girl 
passenger  is  in  the  other  car  gossiping  with  the  lady 
tourist,  and  Harry  and  Erma  have  forgotten  there  are 
other  people  in  this  world.  Entering  rapidly,  the  bang- 
ing car  door,  and  an  excited  and  astounded  "  Gee 
whiz  !  "  calls  the  lady  and  gentleman  from  heaven  to 
earth. 

"  What  do  you  want  here  ?  "  cries  Lawrence,  and  he 
pounces  upon  the  flying  Buck  and  leads  him  to  the  for- 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  241 

ward  compartment,  while  Erma  suddenly  discovers  that 
the  outside  landscape  is  a  thing  of  most  immediate 
interest. 

"  I — I  didn't  mean  to  run  in  on  you,  Cap,"  gasps  the 
fleeing  Buck.  Then  he  smiles  on  Harry  suddenly  and 
grins  :  "  Have  you  made  a  through  connection  at  last? 
Are  you  switched  on  the  main  track  now?" 

"  Stop  your  infernal  conundrums  !  "  laughs  Harry. 
"  Take  a  five-dollar  greenback  and  go  away,  and  don't 
you  tell  a  living  soul  that  Miss  Travenion  is  going  to 
be  Mrs.  Lawrence  !  " 

"  I'll  take  a  five-dollar  greenback,"  answers  the  boy, 
"  because  you're  the  luckiest  man  I  ever  seed,  and  it's 
business.  But  I've  got  somethin'  to  tell  your  young 
lady  ! " 

"  Very  well,"  answers  Harry,  and  leads  Buck  back  to 
Erma's  side.  Here  the  youth  remarks  with  a  snicker 
that  brings  blushes  upon  Miss  Travenion,  "I  hear  as 
how  the  Cap  has  just  been  elected  president  of  the 
road  !  "  A  moment  after  he  continues  :  "  I  come  to  tell 
you  the  grub's  all  out.  Somehow,  since  they  got  an 
idea  that  they  might  run  short,  our  passengers  has  eaten 
so  as  to  make  'em  run  short.  I  haven't  had  a  pie  to  sell 
for  four  hours,  and  there's  a  little  gal,  the  daughter  of 
the  engineer  of  the  helper,  has  got  hungry  and  is 
screaming  for  food " 

"Screaming  for  food?"  cries  Erma.  "Thank  you, 
Buck,  for  telling  me,"  and  the  next  minute  she  is  in 
her  stateroom. 

"  Gracious  !  you'll  be  short  yourself,"  expostulates 
Buck  as  she  returns.  "  You  ain't  carrying  grub  to  a 
giantess  !  "  for  she  has  a  beef  pie,  three  fruit  tarts,  and 
a  couple  of  apples. 

"  Perhaps  the  child's  father  is  hungry  also,"  replies 
Miss  Travenion,  who  seems  very  benevolent  this  after- 
noon. 

16 


242  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

"  Very  well  ! "  says  Mr.  Powers,  "  I'll  bring  the 
engineer,  only  don't  stint  yourself  !  "  and  goes  on  his 
errand. 

A  minute  after,  Erma  and  Harry  are  on  the  platform 
and  the  man  of  the  throttle-valve  comes  to  them,  carry- 
ing his  little  daughter,  who  looks  pale,  and  has  hungry 
eyes.  Seeing  her  bounty,  the  engineer  cries,  "  God 
bless  you,  miss."  Then  he  mutters,  "  You'll  rob  your- 
self." 

"  Oh,  I've  more  left,"  answers  Miss  Travenion  ; 
"besides,  she  needs  it,"  for  the  child  has  already  gone 
to  work  ravenously  on  the  fruit  tarts. 

"  God  bless  you,  just  the  same,"  cries  the  engineer. 
"  Thank  the  lady,  Susie." 

But  Susie,  looking  at  her  benefactress,  forgets  grat- 
itude in  admiration,  and  babbles,  "  Beau'ful,  beau'ful," 
extending  a  fruity  hand  and  putting  up  two  lips  em- 
bellished with  jam. 

"  Don't,  she'll  spoil  your  dress,"  says  the  father. 
But  Erma  has  her  already  in  her  arms,  giving  the  little 
one  a  kiss,  and  playing  with  her  and  doing  some  small 
things  to  make  her  happy. 

And  doing  small  things  for  the  baby  does  great 
things  for  herself,  though  she  does  not  know  it,  for  it 
gains  the  engineer's  heart. 

The  man  wipes  a  grimy  eye  with  a  more  grimy  sleeve, 
and  mutters,  "  I  was  afraid  my  little  one  would  get 
sick  from  starving,  and  she's  all  that's  left  me  of 
her  mother,  who's  buried  in  Green  River — God  bless 
your  kind  heart  and  beautiful  face,  miss ! "  and  so 
going  away,  spreads  the  news  of  the  beautiful  girl's 
bounty  through  the  train. 

But  this  brings  requests  from  other  hungry  ones  to 
Miss  Travenion,  who  has  a  little  that  they  will  eat — if 
she  will  give  it  them. 

Consequently,  about  five  in  the  afternoon  Lawrence, 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  243 

who  does  not  know  of  this  raid  on  his  beloved's  com- 
missariat, and  is  in  the  smoking-car  pondering  over 
the  problem  whether  the  knowledge  of  the  awful  death 
to  which  Kruger  had  doomed  and  from  which  he  had 
rescued  her  father,  will  not  make  Erma  too  anxious 
and  too  nervous  about  Ralph  Travenion's  further  fate, 
finds  himself  disturbed  by  Mr.  Powers. 

The  boy  comes  hurriedly  to  him  and  says  :  "  She 
ain't  got  nothin'  to  eat,  and  she's  hungry." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ? "  cries  Harry.  "  Didn't  you 
say  that  you  had  provisioned  her  for  two  days  ? " 

"  Yes  !  but  she's  given  it  all  away  to  the  women  in 
the  way-cars." 

"  No  relief  train  yet  ? " 

"  No,  an'  I  don't  see  any  chance  of  one." 

"  Very  well,"  remarks  Lawrence,  putting  on  his  over- 
coat, "  I'll  see  what  I  can  do." 

He  steps  out  of  the  car,  and  the  best  he  can  think  of 
is  to  tramp  to  the  telegraph  station,  and  see  if  there  is 
anything  left  there.  It  is  over  a  mile  and  a  half,  but  a 
beaten  track  has  been  pretty  well  made  in  the  snow  by 
the  brakemen  and  conductor  on  some  of  their  visits  to 
that  point,  so  he  gets  there  in  a  little  over  half  an  hour. 

Here,  the  conductor  is  talking  to  the  telegraph  oper- 
ator, and  they  seem  to  be  excited  over  something. 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  "  asks  Harry. 

"  Nothing,  only  the  line's  down  between  here  and 
Evanston  ! "  says  the  operator.  "  It  was  working 
twenty  minutes  ago,  but  I  can't  get  the  Evanston  or 
any  other  Western  office  now." 

"  What  was  the  last  news  from  there  ? " 

"  Bad  !  "  replies  the  man.  "  They  can't  get  a  locomo- 
tive or  relief  train  to  us  till  to-morrow.  They'll  have 
to  pick  and  shovel  their  way  through  a  lot  of  drifts." 

"  Meantime  we  have  nothing  to  eat  !  "  grumbles  the 
captain. 


244  MISS    DIVIDENDS. 

"  Oh,"  remarks  the  conductor,  "  they  telegraphed  me 
this  morning  that  they  would  send  up  provisions  in 
sleighs.  Some  teamsters  will  bring  them  up.  They 
ought  to  be  due  here  to-night.  They  can  make  the 
eighteen  miles,  I  reckon,  in  nine  hours." 

"  There  is  no  danger  of  a  train  coming  from  the 
other  way  to  bring  more  hungry  people  ? "  asks  Law- 
rence earnestly. 

"  Oh,  no  !  "  answers  the  operator.  "  That's  all  fixed. 
I  heard  Evanston  telegraph  Green  River  this  morning, 
for  all  passenger  trains  bound  west  to  be  held  at  that 
point — they  can  feed  them  there — and  all  freight  to  be 
stopped  at  Bridger." 

"  You  are  sure  ?  " 

"  Certain  ! — the  order  was  from  Hilliard,  the  train 
dispatcher  of  this  division.  There's  only  one  passenger 
train  side-tracked  at  Granger,  and  a  freight  switched 
off  at  Carter  and  another  at  Bridger,  between  us  and 
Green  River." 

"  Very  well  !  "  says  Lawrence.  "  Have  you  got  any- 
thing to  eat?" 

"You're  welcome  to  the  best  I  can  do,  Cap,"  replies 
the  man  of  the  wire,  who  knows  Harry  by  sight,  as  most 
of  the  employees  of  the  road  do.  But  the  best  that 
Lawrence  can  obtain  for  his  sweetheart  is  some  pork 
and  beans,  and  some  bread  made  of  middlings.  These 
he  wraps  up  in  an  old  newspaper — nothing  else  being 
handy — and  turns  to  go,  but  pauses  a  moment,  and  says  : 
"  Haven't  you  got  any  tea,  or  coffee,  or  something  of 
that  kind  ? " 

"  Tea,"  cries  the  operator.  "  I  can  accommodate 
you  !  " 

So,  laden  with  a  small  package  of  this  ladies'  delight, 
the  Captain  leaves  the  log  cabin,  which  is  the  only 
house  at  Aspen,  and  does  duty  as  a  telegraph  office, 
and  trudging  back  through  the  snow,  brings  com- 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  245 

fort  and  happiness  to  Erma,  who  has  grown  so  hungry 
in  the  chill  night  air  that  she  has  almost  repented  of 
her  generosity. 

Buck  Powers  accommodates  her  with  boiling  water, 
and  the  Captain  would  leave  her  to  her  meal,  but  she 
suddenly  stops  him  and  cries  :  "  What  have  you  had  to 
eat  ? " 

"  Oh,  don't  mind  me,"  says  Harry. 

"  But  I  do— you  have  tramped  through  the  snow  for 
my  comfort.  Besides,  I  must  take  care  of  you — be- 
cause  " 

"Why?" 

"  Oh,  well,  you  know  " — a  big  blush — "  what  I  told 
you  to-day  !  If  you  remember — take  tea  with  me  !  " 

"With  pleasure,  if  you  put  it  on  that  ground!" 
laughs  Harry,  who  is  desperately  hungry,  and  when  he 
has  fallen  to,  forgets  himself,  and  eats  a  good  deal  more 
than  his  share,  though  they  both  enjoy  the  meal. 

But  just  at  this  moment  there  is  a  cry  outside,  and  a 
faint  hurrah  from  the  negro  porter  inside. 

It  is  the  arrival  of  the  teamsters,  who  have  come, 
bringing  with  them  comfort  and  provisions,  and  every- 
body is  now  in  the  land  of  plenty,  though  it  is  a  very 
rough  plenty. 

Looking  at  them,  Lawrence  wonders  why  so  many 
men  have  come  with  the  relief  sleighs  ;  but  is  told  they 
brought  them  along  to  help  the  teams  through  the 
drifts. 

So  they  pass  a  very  happy  evening — the  young  lady 
singing  a  song  or  two  for  her  swain,  more  beautifully, 
he  thinks,  than  any  prima  donna,  and  saying  good-night 
to  him  afterwards  so  tenderly  that  Lawrence,  coming 
to  his  own  car,  astonishes  the  negro  porter  by  giving 
him  five  dollars  for  making  up  his  bed  in  the  state- 
room which  is  unoccupied,  and  more  roomy  than  a 
section. 


246  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

A  moment  after  he  murmurs  to  himself :  "  Can  it 
be  ?  Is  it  possible  ?  " — and  then  cries,  "  Good  gra- 
cious !  the  engagement  ring — and  no  jeweller  in  sight !" 

And  so  he  goes  to  bed,  to  be  awakened  by  a  voice 
in  the  night  that  changes  confidence  into  doubt,  and 
makes  joy  into  sorrows 

Harry  has  hardly  been  in  bed  an  hour  when  there  is 
a  rap  on  the  door  of  his  stateroom. 

"  Hang  you  ! "  he  cries,  thinking  it  is  the  negro 
porter.  "  I've  left  my  boots  outside.  What  are  you 
waking  me  up  for  at  this  time  of  night  ? " 

"  'Ssh  !  don't  talk  so  loud,  Cap  !     Let  me  in  !  " 

And  opening  the  door,  Mr.  Powers  makes  his  ap- 
pearance, his  eyes,  in  the  moonlight  that  is  streaming 
in,  large,  luminous,  and  excited. 

He  gasps  :  "  Cap — come — an'  save  your  girl ! " 

As  Buck  speaks,  Lawrence  is  out  of  bed.  "Quick  !  " 
he  says. 

"  You  know  in  my  baggage  car  I  hear  most  of  what's 
goin'  on.  Them  teamsters  that  came  here  with  the 
grub  are  camping  in  there  to-night.  I  heard  them 
talking.  They're  Mormons  !  " 

"Ah!" 

"  Buck  Mormons  from  Echo  and  Heber,  and  that 
way.  One  of  them  said  to  the  other,  '  The  bishop  will  be 
along  soon.  The  orders  is,  we're  none  of  us  to  make  a 
move,  but  to  have  the  sleighs  ready  to  start  out  quick, 
and  one  fixed  with  furs  in  it  and  blankets,  to  keep  the 
girl  warm.' " 

"  What  makes  you  think  they  meant  Miss  Travenion  ?  " 

"They  described  her." 

"  Did  you  hear  the  name  of  the  bishop  ?" 

"Yes,"  answers  Buck.  "It  was  the  cuss  who  came 
West  with  you  and  her  !  " 

"  Kruger  ! — Hush  !     Speak  lower  !    Whisper  to  me  !  " 

"  I  am  a-whisperin'  !  "  says  the  boy.    "  It's  the  lowest 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  247 

I've  got.  I've  spoilt  my  voice  hollerin'  as  news-agent, 
an*  I  can't  bring  it  down  ! " 

"  Are  the  Mormon  teamsters  armed  ? " 

"  They  ain't  Mormon  teamers.  Some  of  them  is  dis- 
guised. I  heard  one  of  them  call  another  '  Constable,' 
and  the  other  chinned  him  as  'Sheriff.'  Hadn't  we 
better  tell  the  conductor?" 

"  No,"  says  Lawrence,  shortly,  for  he  remembers  the 
conductor  is  a  routine  man — and,  of  course,  of  no  use 
in  such  an  emergency. 

A  moment  after,  he  says  quietly  to  the  boy  :  "  Miss 
Travenion  was  very  good  to  you,  Buck.  Will  you  help 
me  save  her  ?  " 

"  That's  what  I  come  for." 

"  It  may  be  a  life  and  death  matter." 

"That's  what  I  come  for." 

"  Very  well,"  replies  Harry.  "  You  go  quietly  about 
the  train — they  won't  notice  you — and  find  out  what 
you  can,  and  come  and  report  to  me,  in  Miss  Trave- 
nion's  car.  I  am  going  there." 

"All  right." 

As  Buck  turns  to  obey  his  orders,  Lawrence  sud- 
denly whispers :  "  No  matter  what  happens,  don't  let 
any  one  of  that  gang  learn  I  am  on  the  train." 

"  I  understand  !  " 

Then  the  captain  asks  suddenly,  "  How  many  of 
them  ? " 

"Twelve!  " 

"  Good  God  !  " 

As  Buck  goes  on  his  errand,  Lawrence,  looking  care- 
fully about  to  see  he  is  not  observed,  slips  from  his  car 
into  that  of  Miss  Travenion,  which  is  quiet,  save  for  a 
loud  snoring  from  the  gentlemen's  smoking  compart- 
ment, which  indicates  that  the  Ethiopian  porter  is 
making  a  very  comfortable  night  of  it. 

A   lamp,  partially  turned  up,  illuminates  faintly  the 


248  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

rear  of  the  car.  He  taps  lightly  on  Miss  Travenion's 
door.  No  answer  !  His  heart  sinks  ;  she  may  be  already 
carried  away  from  him. 

Then  he  raps  more  loudly,  and  her  voice  tells  him 
she  is  as  yet  safe. 

"  Who  is  it  ?  "  asks  the  girl. 

"  I — Harry  Lawrence  !  " 

"  Is  anything  the  matter  ?  " 

"  Yes  !     I  must  see  you  in  two  minutes  !  " 

"  Impossible — I  am  not  dressed." 

"  You  must  dress  in  two  minutes.  Throw  on  a 
wrapper  or  shawl." 

"  Oh,  mercy  !     What  is  it  ?  " 

"  Dress  !  " 

"  Very  well ! — Good  gracious  !  where's  my  slippers  ?  " 
This  last  a  nervous  aside. 

Then  the  noise  from  inside  Miss  Travenion's  state- 
room indicates  she  is  obeying  him  with  a  vigor  that 
shows  he  has  impressed  her. 

Within  the  time  specified  she  has  opened  her  door, 
and  stepped  out  to  him,  draped  in  some  warm  woollen 
wrapper,  which  clings  about  her  lithe,  graceful  figure  ; 
and  the  moonlight  shining  through  the  car  window  gets 
into  her  unbound  hair,  and  makes  it  very  soft  and 
golden. 

She  says  hastily,  but  pathetically,  "  Now,  tell  me  !  " 

"  Can  you  be  very  brave  ? " 

"  Yes  !     Try  me  !  " 

Looking  in  her  eyes,  he  knows  she  can  be. 

"  Very  well,"  he  whispers,  "  sit  down.  To-day,  fear- 
ing to  alarm  you,  I  did  not  tell  you  all  I  knew  in 
regard  to  your  father  ;  but  it  is  necessary  now  that 
you  understand  everything  about  Kruger,  the  Mormon 
bishop." 

"Why,  he's  two  hundred  miles  away." 

"  In  a  few  minutes  he  will  be  here." 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  249 

"  Oh,  mercy  !  "  The  girl  leans  against  her  lover,  and 
he  can  feel  her  heart  throb  and  pulse  with  apprehen- 
sion. His  arm  goes  round  her  waist,  and  seems  to  give 
her  confidence,  as  he  tells  her  the  whole  story  of  her 
father's  blood  atonement,  from  which  he  saved  him. 
And  she  gasps  :  "  You  are  not  deceiving  me — my  father 
is  not  dead  ? " 

"  He's  as  safe  as  you  are  !  " 

"  Thank  God  !  " 

"  Perhaps  safer  !  "  Then  he  tells  her  of  the  revela- 
tion Buck  Powers  has  made  him  this  night. 

"  Ah  !  "  Erma  cries  ;  "  Kruger  is  coming  to  force  me 
to  give  up  that  Utah  Central  stock." 

"  For  more  !  " 

"  What  more  ?  " 

"  To  force  you  to  be  his  seventh  wife." 

But  she  says  very  quietly  :  "There  is  no  fear  of  that. 
I  can  always  die  at  the  last." 

"  I  know  you  can  die ;  but  for  my  sake  you  must 
live !  "  cries  Lawrence.  Then  he  says  grimly  :  "  If 
there's  any  dying  to-night,  Kruger  does  it  !  " 

"  Ah  !  that  may  mean  your  life.  For  my  sake  you 
must  live  !  I've — I've  only  been  happy  for  a  day." 
And  her  tender  arms  go  around  him,  as  she  sobs  over 
him,  calling  him  her  darling,  her  betrothed,  her  future 
husband,  and  many  other  wild  terms  of  endearment 
she  might  not  use,  did  she  not  feel  this  night  might  take 
him  from  her. 

A  moment  after  she  cries  :  "  He  is  not  here  yet — let 
us  fly  !  " 

"  Fly,  where  ? "  asks  Lawrence.  "  Through  those 
snow-drifts,  over  those  uninhabited  plains  ?  In  half  an 
hour  we  should  be  overtaken.  If  not,  by  morning  we 
should  be  dead." 

"  Then,  how  will  you  save  me  ?  " 

"All  I  know  is  that  I  will  save  you!     But  to  do  it, 


250  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

you  must  follow  my  instructions.  Twelve  men  I  shall 
not  resist  openly — except  at  the  last.  Give  me  your 
receipt  from  Wells,  Fargo,  for  that  stock." 

She  steps  into  the  stateroom,  and  a  moment  after 
hands  it  to  him. 

"  Now,"  he  says,  "  listen  to  me  !  Each  word  I  utter 
is  important.  When  Kruger  comes,  you  must  be  in 
your  stateroom,  asleep.  Nothing  must  betray  to  him 
that  you  expect  or  fear  his  coming  !  Nothing  must 
inform  him  that  you  know  of  his  crime  against  your 
father  ;  and,  above  all,  nothing  must  suggest  to  him 
that  I  am  on  your  train.  Our  one  great  hope  is,  that 
he  does  not  know  I'm  here,  and  may  be — just  a  little 
careless  !  Remember,  you  have  nothing  to  fear  as  long 
as  I  live  !  " 

But  Buck  Powers  breaks  in  on  them  at  this  moment, 
and  mutters  :  "  Cap,  Kruger's  here  !  He's  talkin'  with 
the  men  over  there  !  " 

"  On  which  side  of  the  cars  ?  Can  he  see  me  if  I  leave 
them  this  way  ?  " 

"  No  ! " 

"  You're  going  ? "  says  the  girl.  And  putting  her 
arms  round  his  neck,  nestles  to  him,  and  murmurs  : 
"  Remember,  your  life  is  my  life  ! " 

And  so  he  leaves  her,  and  steps  cautiously  out,  and 
crouching  in  shadow  of  the  cars,  and  looking  over  the 
white  plateaus  of  drifted  snow,  he  thinks  : 

"  Fly,  where  ?  Fight — how  ?  Impossible  !  "  Then  of 
a  sudden  the  snow  disappears,  and  he  remembers  a  hot 
spring  day  in  '64,  in  Arkansas,  when  he  and  his  Iowa 
boys  did  what  was  deemed  impossible  in  war — artillery 
holding  woodland  and  brush  copse  against  infantry. 
He  sees  his  cannoneers — boys  with  fresh  young  faces 
and  fair  hair,  just  from  Western  prairies  and  green 
fields — fall  and  die,  as  the  musketry  flashes  all  about 
them,  and  singing  bullets  bring  death  to  them,  but  still 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  251 

stand  and  scourge  that  undergrowth  and  timber  shelter 
with  grape  and  case  shot,  till  the  gray  infantry  slowly 
draws  back  ;  until  the  Yankee  lumberman  has  built  up  a 
dam  like  those  that  float  timber  down  Maine  rivers, 
and  so  saved  the  Federal  fleet,  and  thus  saved  the 
Federal  army. 

He  mutters  :  "  I  did  the  impossible  then  for  my 
country  ;  I  can  do  the  impossible  now  FOR  MY  LOVE." 

And  from  that  moment  Harry  Lawrence  has  the  one 
great  quality  that  makes  success  possible  in  all  des- 
perate undertakings — confidence  ! 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

THE    LAST    OF    THE    DANITES. 

EVEN  as  he  looks,  hope  comes,  for  he  sees  the  glow 
of  one  of  the  locomotives  on  the  Y,  and  knows  that  its 
fires  are  still  banked — it  has  a  little  steam  ;  and  he 
remembers,  the  line  is  clear  of  trains  to  Green  River. 

Then  he  whispers  suddenly  to  Buck,  who  says  :  "  I 
understand  !  "  and  goes  cautiously  away,  while  Law- 
rence struggles  through  the  snow-drifts  to  the  helping 
locomotive,  the  one  nearest  the  switch  that  leads  to  the 
main  track  running  to  the  East. 

The  engineer,  who  is  a  careful  man,  and  has  a  pride 
in  his  machine,  is  still  with  his  engine,  and  Harry  is 
delighted  to  see  he  is  the  one  whose  heart  Erma  has 
won  by  kindness  to  his  child. 

"  I  was  rubbing  her  up  a  little,  Cap,"  he  says.  "  I 
want  to  be  sure  she's  all  ready  for  to-morrow's  work." 

"  Is  she  ready  for  to-nighfs  work  ?  " 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  I  mean,"  answers  Lawrence,  who  has  looked  the 
man  over,  and  concludes  it  is  better  to  lie  to  him  than 


252  MISS    DIVIDENDS. 

to  argue  with  him,  "  that  there  are  road  agents  on  the 
train." 

For  a  moment  the  man  looks  at  him  in  unbelief,  then 
there  is  a  little  noise  and  commotion  about  the  sleepers, 
and  he  cries  :  "  My  God  !  my  child  !  " 

"  Your  child  is  safe.  Buck  is  bringing  her  over  ! " 
says  Harry,  pointing  at  the  figure  of  the  boy,  half  lead- 
ing, half  carrying  the  little  girl  through  the  snow. 
"  Any  way,"  he  goes  on,  "they  would  have  done  nothing 
to  her  ;  it's  the  other  one  they  want,  the  heiress  !  " 

"What  !  that  beautiful  girl  that  kept  my  little  one 
from  starving  ?  We  must  save  her  !  "  cries  the  engineer, 
getting  hold  of  his  own  darling  from  Buck,  who  has 
come  up. 

"  We  will  !  "  whispers  Lawrence.  "  Those  road 
agents  will  only  trouble  her  and  Wells,  Fargo  & 
Co.'s  express.  The  express  must  take  care  of  itself 
— we'll  take  care  of  the  girl  !  " 

"  But  how  ?  " 

"  By  running  her  down  to  safety  on  your  locomotive ! " 

"  Great  goodness  !  I  never  thought  of  that  !  "  replies 
the  man  of  the  throttle-valve. 

A  moment  after,  he  says  :  "  I  haven't  got  coal  to 
reach  further  than  Granger." 

"  That'll  do  !  Get  up  steam  as  fast  as  you  can,  but 
don't  let  anybody  see  you're  at  work  on  your  locomo- 
tive !  " 

With  these  words,  Lawrence  goes  into  consultation 
with  the  engineer  and  Mr.  Powers  as  to  the  details  of 
the  transaction. 

It  is  arranged  that  Harry  is  to  do  the  work  of  the 
fireman,  who  is  on  the  train,  and  whom  they  dare  not 
take  the  risk  of  arousing  ;  Buck  is  to  turn  the  switch  to 
put  the  locomotive  on  the  main  track,  and  to  board 
them  as  they  pass  him,  which  they  will  do  very  quietly. 

Leaving  the  engineer  quietly    making   his   prepara- 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  253 

tions,  Lawrence  walks  cautiously  across,  not  towards 
Miss  Travenion's  car,  but  towards  the  sleeper  behind 
it — the  one  he  occupies. 

From  that  he  cautiously  approaches  the  other,  looks 
in,  and  finds  it  empty  of  all  save  Miss  Travenion,  who 
has  apparently  hurriedly  dressed,  and  is  seated,  con- 
fronted by  two  men,  who  evidently  have  her  in  their 
keeping,  as  one  says  :  "  Don't  be  scared  ;  we'll  take 
good  care  of  you,  even  if  you  have  been  tryin'  to  rob 
the  Mormon  Church  !  " 

Catching  these  words  in  the  outer  darkness  of  the 
rear  compartment,  Lawrence  knows  that  Kruger  has 
already  had  his  say,  and  for  some  reason  left  the  girl. 
Harry  is  glad  of  this,  for  feeling  the  revolver  in  his  belt, 
he  fears  he  might  have  killed  the  Mormon,  which  would 
probably  not  have  saved  either  himself  or  his  sweetheart. 

In  this  he  is  doubtless  right.  For  while  he  has  been 
holding  conference  with  the  engineer,  Kruger,  followed 
by  four  or  five  of  his  satellites,  and  accompanied  by 
the  conductor,  who  is  expostulating  with  him,  has  en- 
tered the  car. 

"  Now,  ye  keep  quiet !  "  he  says  to  that  official. 
"We've  got  a  warrant  for  this  young  lady,  for  assistin' 
her  daddy  to  run  away  with  half  a  million  dollars'  worth 
of  Utah  Central  stock.  There's  the  documents,  sworn 
to  by  the  sheriff  of  Heber  City,  Utah,  before  a  Probate 
Judge." 

"  A  Utah  judge  has  got  no  jurisdiction  in  Wyoming," 
answers  the  conductor. 

"  No  !  But  this  is  made  returnable,"  says  Lot,  "  before 
the  United  States  District  Judge,  and  Wyoming's  part 
of  his  district,  and  that  gives  us  authority.  Don't  step 
in  the  way  of  the  law,  young  man.  Besides  " — here 
he  looks  round  at  his  following,  and  remarks  :  "  We're 
goin'  to  execute  this  warrant  any  way,  an'  ye  ain't  got 
the  power  to  stop  us  !  I've  sized  ye  up,  an'  ye've  got 


254  MISS    DIVIDENDS. 

two  nigger  porters,  two  brakesmen,  an'  yerself.  We've 
twelve  men  armed  with  Winchesters,  an'  we've  got  the 
drop  on  yer  train-hands,  mail  agent,  an'  Wells,  Fargo's 
messenger,  for  they're  surrounded  and  cut  off  from  ye. 
Now  the  sheriff's  goin'  to  serve  his  papers." 

At  this  moment,  the  negro  porter,  who  has  just  awak- 
ened, flies  out  of  the  car  shrieking  :  "  For  de  Lord  !  Road 
agents  !  " 

"  Ye  see  how  much  good  he'd  do  ye  !  "  guffaws  Kru- 
ger  to  the  conductor.  "  Now,"  he  continues,  "  ye  step 
back  an'  let  me  do  my  business  polite  ! " 

"  Not  unless  you  agree  to  report  with  the  young  lady 
at  Evanston,  before  you  take  her  into  Utah,"  says  the 
dethroned  autocrat  of  the  train. 

"  That  we  will  do,  certain  !  "  replies  Lot,  with  a  wink 
to  the  sheriff.  "  Now  ye  wake  her  up." 

Thus  commanded,  the  conductor  raps  upon  Miss 
Travenion's  stateroom  door,  and  to  her  inquiries,  asks 
her  to  dress  herself,  stating  there  are  some  gentlemen 
on  business,  who  must  see  her  at  once. 

"  Very  well  !  Let  them  wait  !  "  answers  the  young 
lady  quietly,  though  there  is  a  tremor  in  her  voice. 

She  keeps  them  waiting  so  long  that  one  of  the  men 
mutters  :  "  The  gal  must  be  rigging  herself  out  for  a 
dance,"  and  Lot  himself  knocks  on  her  stateroom  door, 
saying,  "  Miss  Ermie,  come  out  quick  !  It's  Kruger, 
yer  daddy's  friend,  who's  talkin'  to  ye." 

"  You  here  ? "  she  cries  through  the  door.  "  What 
has  happened  to  my  father,  that  you  come  to  me  ?  " 

And  he  says  :  "  The  sheriff  here  has  got  a  little  busi- 
ness with  ye.  Yer  daddy  has  disappeared." 

"  A — ah  !  "  And  it's  all  she  can  do  to  keep  from  burst- 
ing out  and  upbraiding  him,  telling  him  what  she  knows, 
and  so  ruining  the  chance  Lawrence  is  preparing  for 
her. 

"  Yes,  yer  daddy  has  gone,  and  the  Utah  Central 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  255 

stock  that  belonged  to  the  Mormon  Church  has  gone 
with  him,  an*  the  sheriff  here  thinks  it's  in  yer  posses- 
sion, and  has  sworn  out  a  warrant  agin  ye,  an'  is  here 
to  execute  it.  An'  I  come  along  with  him  to  make  it  as 
light  for  ye,  as  possible.  He  thought  ye'd  got  clean 
away  from  him,  but  heerd  the  train  was  stopped  here 
by  snow,  an'  so  he  come  on  to  get  ye.  But  before  he 
takes  ye,  I  want  to  tell  ye  a  few  little  things.  Come 
out  !" 

Then  hearing  the  noise  of  the  moving  bolt  in  Erma's 
door,  Kruger  says  to  the  men  with  him  :  "  Just  step 
back  a  leetle  into  the  smoking-room,  while  I  talk  to 
the  girl." 

"All  right,  bishop  !"  answers  the  sheriff,  who  seems 
entirely  under  Lot's  domination. 

The  men  withdraw  as  Erma  comes  out  and  stands 
before  Bishop  Kruger,  her  beauty  perhaps  at  this 
moment  appealing  to  him  more  than  it  ever  did — for 
excitement  has  added  a  lustre  to  her  eye,  and  she  seems 
so  helpless,  and  so  much  in  his  power. 

He  mutters,  his  eyes  blinking  a  little  at  the  radiance 
that  is  before  him  :  "  Now,  Ermie,  ye  can  make  every- 
thing quite  easy  for  yerself  !  " 

"  Indeed — how  ? "  She  tries  very  hard  to  conceal  it, 
but  some  scorn  will  get  into  her  voice. 

"  By  givin'  up  the  stock  quiet !  " 

"  Ah  !  then  you  will  let  me  go  ? " 

"  Oh,  no  !  The  sheriff  wouldn't  do  that ;  but  when 
he  takes  ye  back  to  Utah,  I'll  go  bail  for  ye,  an'  I'll 
take  ye  down  to  my  home  in  Kammas  Prairie,  where 
ye'll  be  nice  an'  comfortable,  an'  I'll  look  after  ye." 

"  You  are  always  very  good  to  me,"  says  the  girl 
with  a  sneer,  though  he  doesn't  detect  it,  and  replies  : 
"  Yes,  I'll  be  better  to  ye  than  ye  know  !  " 

And  she,  trying  to  act  her  part,  to  prevent  any  sus- 
picion in  his  mind,  thanks  him  with  so  much  appar- 


256  MISS    DIVIDENDS. 

ent  heartiness  that  the  old  satyr  loses  his  head,  and 
chuckles  :  "  Now,  that's  the  right  kind  o'  talk.  Now 
yer  lookin'  beautiful  as  one  o'  the  angels  of  Zion.  I've 
been  havin'  my  eye  on  ye,  an'  I'm  goin'  to  exalt  ye,  an* 
take  ye  into  my  family." 

"Take  me  into  your  family — as  a  daughter ?" 

"  No,  as  a  wife,  for  I  love  ye  ! " 

And  looking  to  her  like  an  ogre,  he  would  advance 
to  her,  whispering  :  "  By  this  kiss  of  peace,  I  take  ye 
into  my  family  !  " 

But  she  has  forgotten  to  act  now,  and  scorn  is  in  her 
eye,  hatred  in  her  voice,  and  loathing  in  her  shudder. 
She  says  hoarsely  :  "  BACK  !  don't  dare  to  sully  me  by 
the  touch  of  your  finger  !  I  loathe  you  as  I  do  your 
iniquitous  church !  " 

"  Ye  blasphemer  !  "  he  cries.  "  This  is  the  second 
time.  I'll  be  hard  on  ye  now,  an'  bring  ye  down  from 
yer  high  horse.  Where's  that  stock  of  the  Utah  Cen- 
tral ? " 

"  Find  it  !  "  jeers  Erma. 

"I  will  !"  he  answers,  "and  then  I'll  make  ye  sorry 
ye  turned  yer  nose  up  at  Lot  Kruger  !  " 

Raising  his  voice,  he  shouts  :  "  Sheriff,  come  in  an' 
take  yer  prisoner,  an*  make  a  search  of  her  baggage  ! 
She's  got  the  stolen  goods  with  her,  I  reckon  !  " 

A  second  later  the  girl  is  placed  under  arrest. 

But  a  quick  though  thorough  search  of  the  baggage 
she  has  with  her,  shows  that  the  Utah  Central  stock, 
that  Kruger  knows  the  Mormon  Church  must  have,  is 
not  in  her  possession. 

He  says  :  "  Sheriff,  step  off  a  leetle  ;  I'll  reason  with 
this  child,  to  see  if  I  can't  get  from  her  the  locality  of 
the  stolen  goods." 

So,  coming  to  her  again,  he  mutters  :  "  Ye'd  better 
take  things  reasonable,  an'  tell  me  where  that  ar*  stock 
is  !  I  WILL  KNOW  !  " 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  257 

But  she  laughs  in  his  face,  and  cries  :  "  Find  it !  " 

"  Now,"  he  says,  "  I  ain't  'customed  to  bein'  sassed  by 
women.  I'll  have  it  out  o'  ye  !  Tell  me,  or  I'll  treat 
ye  as  I  do  my  own  darters,  when  they  disobey  me  !  " 

His  brutal  hand  is  upraised,  and  in  another  second 
this  exotic  from  far-away  Murray  Hill  will  receive  what 
she  had  never  felt  before — a  box  on  her  dainty  ear. 
But  she,  forgetting  prudence,  forgetting  Harry's  coun- 
sel, pants,  "  I  dare  you  !  Do  you  think  I  have  no  one 
here  to  avenge  me  ?  " 

"  Who  ? "  asks  Kruger,  suspiciously,  his  hand  still 
lifted. 

"  Who  ?  "  echoes  Erma — "  who  ?  "  Then,  remember- 
ing in  time,  she  turns  her  speech  and  laughs.  "  That 
stock  is  safe  in  the  hands  of  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.,  where 
you  dare  not  touch  it !  "  and  unwittingly  paves  the 
way  for  her  own  escape. 

"Oh  ho!"  guffaws  Lot.  "It's  on  the  train.  We'll 
see  if  we  dare  not  touch  it  !  " 

He  calls  to  his  men,  who  are  in  the  smoking-room  : 
"  Two  of  ye  look  after  her  here,  though  there  ain't 
any  great  danger  of  Miss  Dainty's  running  very  far 
in  this  snow.  That  stock  is  in  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.'s 
safe,  an'  we'll  have  it  now.  It's  right  here  on  the 
train,  boys.  We've  got  a  warrant  that  will  hold  us 
up  in  this  business  !  " 

For  some  of  the  men  have  turned  pale  at  the  thought 
of  making  a  raid  on  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.,  an  institu- 
tion that  has  gained  a  reputation  for  being  implac- 
able in  its  pursuit  of  train  robbers,  highwaymen,  and 
others  that  raid  the  precious  things  the  business  com- 
munity intrust  to  it. 

Then  whispering  to   her  :  "  I'll  come  back  for  ye  ! 

We'll  take  ye  an'  the  stock  together,  back  to  Utah  !  "  he 

leaves  the  girl,  followed  by  all  but  the  two  men,  whom 

Lawrence  sees  watching  her,  as  he  peers  into  the  gloom. 

17 


258  MISS    DIVIDENDS. 

Harry  is  thinking  of  how  to  get  these  two  guardians 
of  Miss  Travenion  away,  and  has  half  made  up  his  mind 
to  kill  them,  when  Buck  Powers  comes  sneaking  to  him, 
and  whispers  :  "  Cap,  the  engine's  ready  !  " 

"  Where  are  Kruger  and  the  rest  of  his  gang  ?  " 

"  They're  making  a  raid  en  Wells,  Fargo.  They're 
demandin'  some  stock,  or  somethin'  or  other,  an'  the 
agent  is  standin'  them  off.  He  thinks  they're  road 
agents." 

With  these  words  comes  an  idea  to  Harry  Lawrence. 

He  whispers  quickly  to  Buck,  then  says  :  "  You 
understand  ?  " 

"  All  right,  Cap,  I'm  on  to  you  !  "  and  Mr.  Powers 
disappears. 

Thirty  seconds  after  Buck  bangs  at  the  door  of  the 
sleeper  with  great  noise,  though  he  is  careful  not  to 
enter,  and  from  its  end  nearest  to  the  express  car,  yells  : 
"Come  on!  you're  needed.  Wells,  Fargo's  agent  is 
standin'  the  bishop  off.  The  bishop  says  the  gal's  safe 
and  he  wants  you  !  " 

"  All  right  !  "  answers  one  of  the  men,  and  handling 
their  guns,  the  two  disappear  to  take  part  in  the  trouble 
with  the  express  agent,  which  is  now  creating  a  great 
commotion  on  the  train,  the  passengers  in  Lawrence's 
Pullman  crying  out  :  "  Road  agents  !  "  and  the  young 
lady  in  Miss  Travenion's  car,  who  has  been  awakened 
by  the  noise,  screaming  for  help. 

This  excitement  aids  Lawrence.  He  steps  into  the 
car,  and  touching  his  sweetheart  on  the  shoulder,  whis- 
pers :  "  Come  !  " 

And  she  following  him  to  the  platform,  he  springs 
into  the  snow-drift,  and  says  :  "  I  must  carry  you  !  " 

"  Certainly  !  "  Her  arms  clasp  themselves  trustingly 
round  his  neck,  as  he  trudges  through  the  snow,  bearing 
his  happiness  with  him. 

The   locomotive   on   the    Y   is   just   moving   as    he 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  259 

reaches  it,  for  he  crosses  directly  to  it,  not  daring  to 
carry  her  past  Kruger  and  his  men,  who  are  still  about 
Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.'s  car. 

"Ah,  you're  going  to  carry  me  away  on  the  locomo- 
tive !  "  whispers  Erma,  as  Lawrence  puts  her  on 
board. 

"Yes,  we'll  take  care  of  you  !  "  mutters  the  engineer, 
giving  Harry  a  helping  hand. 

In  another  moment  they  are  in  the  cab  of  the  loco- 
motive, which  is  slowly  running  over  the  Y  towards  the 
main  track,  which  leads  to  the  East,  and  safety. 

This  has  been  kept  open  as  far  as  the  snow-shed, 
and  they  will  probably  not  meet  a  great  deal  of  drift 
until  they  get  beyond  it,  but  the  steam  is  light  in  the 
engine,  and  it  cannot  move  very  fast. 

The  other  locomotive  stands  behind  them,  on  the  Y. 
Lawrence  notices,  as  they  leave  it,  that  its  fires  are 
banked,  and  some  one  is  on  board  it,  though  apparently 
asleep. 

A  second  after,  they  pass  Mr.  Buck  Powers,  who 
switches  them  to  the  main  track,  they  running  so  slowly 
that  he  easily  follows  them,  and  jumps  on  board. 

All  this  time  Harry  has  both  ears  and  eyes  fixed  on 
the  forward  end  of  the  train,  to  see  if  their  absence  is 
discovered. 

But  the  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co.'s  man  is  still  stand- 
ing the  Mormons  and  their  bishop  off,  and  threatening 
to  shoot  ;  and  his  movements  interest  them  so  much 
they  do  not  notice  the  great  mass"of  iron  that  has  come 
on  to  the  main  track,  and  is  now  plunging  away  from 
them  down  the  incline  towards  the  long  snow-shed. 

"  Now,"  Harry  says  to  the  engineer,  giving  a  sigh  of 
relief,  "  you  can  light  your  headlight." 

Just  then  a  cry  comes  out  from  behind  them.  It  is 
that  of  the  conductor  of  the  train,  who  is  screaming  : 
"  Great  Scott !  who's  run  away  with  the  locomotive  ? " 


260  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

and  some  of  Kruger's  men  run  shouting  through  the 
snow. 

Then  Lawrence  cries,  "  Give  her  steam  !  " 

The  locomotive  dashes  through  little  drifts,  and 
drowns  sound,  but  he  knows  that  in  a  very  few 
moments  Lot  Kruger  will  have  discovered  that  what 
he  values  more  than  the  stock  of  the  Utah  Central 
Railway  is  passing  away  from  him. 

The  engine  is  already  flying  through  the  snow-shed 
— one  of  the  two  long  ones  that  line  the  steep  decline 
leading  towards  Piedmont  and  the  East. 

In  it  they  find  little  snow  to  impede  them,  but  at  the 
end  of  the  shed  their  trouble  begins,  for  on  this  track, 
which  has  not  been  passed  by  trains  for  twenty-four 
hours,  they  encounter  deep  drifts,  and  once  or  twice 
the  locomotive  nearly  stops,  and  the  engineer  tells 
Lawrence  that  if  it  were  not  for  the  steep  down  grade, 
they  would  never  be  able  to  make  it. 

Several  times  they  have  to  back,  and  push  on  again, 
though  the  sheet-iron  covered  cow-catcher,  which  acts 
as  a  snow-plow,  helps  them  tremendously.  Still  it  is  a 
long  time  before  they  reach  the  second  big  snow-shed, 
and  looking  at  his  watch,  Lawrence  finds  that  they  have 
been  half  an  hour  doing  what  ought  only  to  have  taken 
them  ten  minutes. 

But  just  as  they  are  entering  the  second  snow-shed, 
where  the  track  makes  an  enormous  bend,  almost 
running  back  upon  itself,  in  the  form  of  a  U,  something 
comes  out  of  the  snow-shed — not  much  over  a  mile  away 
— that  they  have  left  behind  them.  Something  that 
makes  Lawrence's  heart  jump,  and  then  grow  cold,  as 
with  hoarse  voice  he  cries,  pointing  back  :  "  My  God  ! 
what  is  that  ?  " 

And  the  engineer  sets  his  teeth,  and  says  :  "  They're 
after  us  !  It's  the  headlight  of  the  other  locomotive  ! 
They  have  got  up  steam,  and  they  have  the  advantage 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  261 

of  us,  because  we  have  to  bore  the  way  through  drifts 
and  clear  the  track  for  them.  They're  bound  to  catch 
us!" 

"  Not  if  steam'll  beat  them,"  mutters  Harry,  and 
assisted  by  Buck,  he  piles  the  engine  fire  with  coal,  and 
helped  by  the  rapid  descent,  they  forge  through  drift 
after  drift,  none  of  these  being  very  deep  in  the  second 
long  snow-shed. 

Then  they  come  out  of  it,  into  the  open  country  once 
more,  and  meet  deeper  drifts,  into  which  the  engine 
plunges  with  a  slow  thud,  throwing  the  snow  higher 
than  its  smoke-stack,  as  it  struggles  through.  Here  the 
other  engine  must  have  the  best  of  it,  for  they  clear  its 
track  for  it,  and  they  haven't  left  the  second  snow-shed 
half  a  mile  behind  when,  like  the  eye  of  a  demon,  the 
glow  of  the  yellow  headlight  of  their  pursuer  comes 
gliding  after  them. 

The  engineer  mutters  :  "  They're  goin'  to  catch  us  !  " 

"  Never  !  "  cries  Lawrence,  and  piles  on  more  coal — 
though  his  heart  is  cold  as  the  snow-drifts  through 
which  the  engine  plunges. 

"  We'll  be  up  to  the  Piedmont  switch  in  a  minute. 
I  might  as  well  stop  there  ! "  mutters  the  engineer. 
"  We  can't  clear  the  track  for  'em  and  beat  'em  too  !  " 

"  Put  your  hand  on  the  reversing  lever  and  you're 
dead  !  "  cries  Lawrence,  his  pistol  at  the  man's  ear. 

"  Not  for  my  sake  !  "  screams  Erma,  for  she  has  the 
man's  child  in  her  arms. 

"  For  all  our  sakes  !  "  answers  Harry.  "  Keep  her 
going — till  we  can  move  no  more  !  Then — 

"  What  ?  "  asks  his  sweetheart. 

"  Then  Kruger'll  trouble  you  no  more ;  of  that  be 
certain  !  " 

"  But  YOU  ?  " 

"  Oh,  that  doesn't  matter." 

They  are  moving  quite  slowly  now,  and  the  girl  sud- 


262  MISS    DIVIDENDS. 

denly  cries,  "  Buck,  where  are  you  going  ? "  for  the 
boy  has  just  said,  "  Good-bye  !  God  bless  you,  Miss 
Beauty  !  " 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  ?" 

"  Show  you  how  a  Chicago  railroadman  treats  chumps  /" 

And  though  Erma  cries :  "  Don't !  You  risk  your  life  ! " 
and  Lawrence  puts  out  a  detaining  hand,  even  as  they 
come  to  the  Piedmont  side-track,  the  boy  jumps  from 
the  cab,  unlocks  the  switch,  and  hides  himself  in  the 
snow-drift. 

"  My  God  !  He's  going  to  run  'em  off  the  track  ! 
My  pard's  the  boss  of  that  locomotive  !  "  screams  the 
engineer.  "  He'll  be  smashed  to  pieces  !  " 

"  Go  on  !  "  answers  Lawrence,  and  his  pistol  again 
threatens. 

The  locomotive  dashes  forward,  for  there  is  a  roar 
two  hundred  yards  behind  them,  and  over  the  noise  they 
hear  Kruger's  yell  of  triumph,  which,  even  as  he  utters 
it,  is  turned  into  a  howl  of  rage. 

There  is  a  shriek  of  terror  from  the  engineer  of  the 
pursuing  locomotive,  for  Buck  Powers,  in  the  moon- 
light, has  risen  up  beside  the  switch,  and  turned  it, 
just  as  the  engine  dashes  to  it,  not  so  as  to  side-track 
it,  but  only  half  way,  to  dash  it  over  ties  and  snow- 
drifts to  destruction. 

As  the  locomotive  passes,  Kruger,  who  has  his  pistol 
in  his  hand,  turns  it  from  the  direction  of  Lawrence  and 
the  flying  locomotive  straight  at  the  breast  of  the  boy 
at  the  switch,  and  fires  upon  him  !  And  Buck  Powers, 
giving  a  shriek,  staggers  and  falls  into  a  snow-bank, 
reddening  it  with  his  blood. 

But  even  as  Buck  does  so,  he  is  avenged.  The  loco- 
motive, plunging  forward  off  the  track  into  the  drifting 
snow,  topples  over,  and  though  the  engineer  and  fire- 
man jump  free,  Kruger,  with  his  eye  in  grim  triumph 
on  the  dying  boy,  is  thrown  beneath  the  ponderous 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  263 

mass  of  iron,  that  topples  over  him,  crushing  his  body, 
and  sending  his  soul  to  where  the  souls  of  the  Danites 
go. 

The  engineer  and  fireman  clamber  out  of  the  snow- 
drift unharmed,  though  shaken  up.  Three  of  the  Mor- 
mon posse  who  have  been  with  Kruger  come  out  of 
the  snow  unarmed,  for  their  Winchesters  are  buried 
deep  in  a  white  bank  ;  and  Lawrence,  knowing  they  are 
helpless,  makes  the  engineer  run  his  locomotive  back 
to  the  switch.  Springing  out,  he  has  the  boy  in  his 
arms  in  a  minute,  and  getting  into  the  cab,  he  holds 
Buck  Powers  to  his  breast,  while  his  locomotive  goes 
on  its  way  unhindered  now,  though  followed  by  the 
curses  of  its  Mormon  pursuers. 

Then  Erma  whispers  to  Harry,  "  What  chance  ? " 
But  he  shakes  his  head,  for  he  knows  what  those  gray- 
blue  lips  mean — he  has  seen  them  too  often  on  battle- 
fields. 

As  he  does  so,  the  boy,  whose  face  has  already  grown 
pallid,  and  upon  whose  forehead  the  dew  of  death  is 
standing,  gasps  :  "  I  saved  ye,  Miss  Beauty  ! — Didn't  I 
do  the  trick  like — like  a  Chicago  railroad  man  ? " 

"  Yes,"  sobs  the  girl,  bending  over  him.  "  What  can 
I  do  for  you  ?  " 

"  The  Cap  won't  be  jealous — just  give  me  one  kiss — 
that's  all.  I've  never  been  kissed — by — a — beautiful — 
young  lady." 

And  two  sweet  lips  come  to  his,  that  are  already  cold, 
and  he  gasps  :  "  You're  pretty  as  a  Chicago  girl — that's 
where  I'm  goin' !  " 

And  delirium  coming  on  him,  he  laughs  ;  for  his  old 
life  is  coming  back  to  him  !  And  the  railroad,  and  the 
city  that  he  loves  so  well  and  is  so  proud  of,  getting 
into  his  mind,  he  cries  :  "  I'm  braking  on  the  Burling- 
ton again,  an'  we're  bound  for  Chicago.  Hoop  !  we're 
at  the  Rock  Island  crossin' — we've  whistled  first  an' 


264  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

got  the  right  o'  way.  C.  B.  &  Q.'s  always  ahead  ! — Two 
long  toots  and  two  short  toots  !  Town  whistle  !  We're 
goin'  into  Aurorie  an'  out  of  it  again.  Now  we  whiz 
through  Hinsdale  an'  Riverside  ! — I  can  see  the  lights 
of  the  city. — Engine  has  whistled  for  the  Fort  Wayne 
crossin' !  Sixteenth  Street !  Slow  down  !  The  bell's 
beginning  to  ring — the  lights  are  dancin' — Michigan 
Avenue  !  We're  runnin'  for  the  old  Lake  Street  Station  ! 
I'm  a-folding  up  the  flags  and  takin'  in  the  red  lights 
— the  bell's  ringin'  fainter — the  whistle's  blowin'  for 
brakes — the  wheels  are  goin'  slower — slower — slower 
— the  lights  is  dancin'  about  me — the  wheels  are  stopped. 
The  train  is  dead — the  lights  is  goin'  out  !  CHI- 
CAGO !  ! " 

And  with  this  cry,  Buck  Powers  goes  to  Heaven. 

Then  Erma,  bending  over  him,  and  wringing  her 
hands,  and  tears  dropping  on  his  dead  face,  whispers  : 
"  Let  us  take  him  to  Chicago,  Harry,  and  bury  him  in 
the  city  he  loved  so  well !  " 

And  so  they  do,  some  months  afterward  ;  and  there 
he  lies,  entombed  in  that  silent  city  of  the  dead,  beside 
the  waters  of  the  blue  lake,  and  that  great  city  of  the 
living.  And  no  truer  heart,  nor  nobler  soul,  will  ever 
tread  the  streets  of  that  grand  metropolis  of  the  West, 
than  that  of  this  boy,  who  loved  it  so  well,  and  who 
gave  his  life  for  gratitude — now  nor  to  come,  even  if  it 
grows  to  have  ten  millions. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

ORANGE    BLOSSOMS    AMONG    THE    SNOW. 

So  holding  the  dead  boy  in  his  arms,  the  engineer 
contriving  to  do  the  firing,  they  journey  slowly  along 
the  road  to  Bridger. 

Here,  finding  telegraphic  communication  is  still  cut 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  265 

off  with  Evanston,  they  know  it  is  safe  to  run  on  to 
Carter. 

From  the  freight  train  at  this  point  they  fortunately 
get  a  man  to  do  the  firing  of  the  locomotive,  Lawrence 
paying  him  for  the  same. 

The  sun  is  rising  as  they  pass  the  Carter  tank,  and 
the  engineer  tells  them  he  thinks  they  have  got  coal 
enough,  as  they  are  on  a  down  grade,  to  take  them  to 
Granger,  for  the  snow  is  not  so  deep  here  as  it  was  up 
the  mountain. 

Finding  no  orders  have  been  received  at  this  point, 
they  keep  on,  and  finally,  about  seven  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  they  can  see  the  passenger  train  from  the 
East,  side-tracked  half  a  mile  ahead  of  them  at  Granger. 

"  I  can't  take  you  any  further — I  have  got  no  coal — 
and  I  don't  know  what  the  company  will  say  to  my 
doing  what  I  have  done  I "  mutters  the  engineer,  who  is 
now  apparently  anxious  as  to  what  the  Union  Pacific 
will  think  of  his  night's  performance. 

"  Here's  one  hundred  dollars  !  '*  remarks  Lawrence. 

"  No,  I  did  it  because  the  young  lady  had  been  kind 
to  my  child  !."  and  the  man  shakes  his  head. 

"  You  must  take  it  !  "  cries  Harry.  "You  will  prob- 
ably be  laid  off  for  last  night's  work  ! " 

"  What  ?     For  running  away  from  road  agents  ?  " 

"  Running  away  from  sheriff's  officers  !  " 

"  From  officers  of  the  law  ?  "  gasps  the  man  of  the 
throttle.  Then  he  cries  out  suddenly  :  "  They'll  dis- 
charge me !  You've  ruined  me  and  my  child  with  your 
infernal  lies ! "  and  he  looks  at  Lawrence  with  angry 
eyes. 

But  Harry  says  cheerfully  :  "  If  they  discharge  you, 
this  young  lady  will  give  you  enough  money  to  buy  a 
farm  in  Kansas.  If  she  doesn't,  I  will  !  Besides,"  he 
continues,  hoping  to  soothe  the  man's  fears,  "  though 
those  fellows  we  escaped  from  were  Mormon  officers, 


266  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

they  were  acting  as  bandits,  and  had  no  more  legal 
right  to  do  what  they  were  doing  in  Wyoming,  than 
road  agents  !  I'll  give  you  a  bond  for  the  money,  if 
necessary,  when  we  get  to  the  station." 

This  promise,  and  the  one  hundred  dollars  in  hand, 
makes  the  engineer  feel  more  comfortable,  as  they  run 
alongside  the  passenger  train  at  Granger.  Here  many 
questions  are  asked  them,  and  in  return  they  discover  the 
wires  are  still  down  towards  Evanston,  and  there  are, 
of  course,  no  orders  from  division  headquarters. 

At  this  place  Lawrence  arranges  for  the  transporta- 
tion of  the  boy's  body  to  the  East,  for  he  is  very 
anxious  to  get  it  out  of  Miss  Travenion's  sight,  who 
sits  in  the  locomotive  cab,  half  dazed,  though  when  she 
looks  upon  what  was  once  Buck  Powers,  she  sometimes 
mutters  with  a  shudder  :  "  This  time  yesterday  he  was 
alive  and  happy — and  now  he's  dead — for  me,"  and 
fondles  the  boy's  cold  hand. 

Lawrence  is  thus  compelled  to  tell  the  story  of  the 
night's  happenings,  which  he  does  to  the  station  agent, 
who  acts  as  constable  at  this  place.  This  official  looks 
serious,  and  rubs  his  head,  and  says  :  "  Hanged  if  I 
know  what  I'd  better  do  !  Buck  got  his  death  killing 
the  infernal  Mormon  in  Uintah  County,  and  this  is  Sweet- 
water  !  I  guess  you'd  better  take  the  young  lady  on 
to  Green  River,  and  then  if  they  want  you  back  for  a 
coroner's  inquest,  or  to  try  you  for  murder,  you  can  go 
to  Evanston,  if  you  can  get  there — which  looks  almighty 
dubious  just  about  now,"  for  another  snow-storm  seems 
to  be  blowing  up. 

Thinking  it  best  to  follow  the  man's  advice,  and  a 
locomotive  being  compelled  to  go  to  Green  River, 
though  the  wires  are  still  down  to  division  head- 
quarters, and  consequently  no  orders,  Lawrence  takes 
the  opportunity,  and  succeeds,  about  one  o'clock  in  the 
day,  in  getting  his  sweetheart  to  the  comforts  of  the 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  267 

Green  River  station,  where  there  is  quite  a  town,  a 
pleasant  hotel,  and  plenty  to  eat.  For  all  the  stations 
he  has  run  by  this  day,  at  that  time  were  but  little  more 
than  telegraph  offices  and  water  tanks,  with  freight- 
house  attachments  at  some  of  them,  and  have  not  much 
increased  in  size  or  importance,  even  to  this  day. 

At  Green  River,  snow  comes  upon  them  again,  and 
the  yard  gets  full  of  trains,  though  none  leave  for  the 
East  ;  for  the  Union  Pacific  is  beginning  to  appreciate 
what  the  great  blockade  of  1871  means. 

Telegraphic  communication  having  been  restored 
between  Evanston  and  Green  River,  Lawrence  wires 
the  superintendent  of  the  division  a  statement  of  what 
happened  at  Aspen  and  Piedmont,  and  receives  the  fol- 
lowing characteristic  reply  : 

"  Shall  hold  you  for  damage  to  locomotive.  The  homicide  part 
of  the  matter  is  not  our  business." 

A  day  or  so  after  this,  a  passenger  train  gets  through 
from  the  West  to  Green  River,  and  walking  out  to  meet 
it,  Harry  is  astonished  but  delighted  to  see  Mr.  Fer- 
dinand Chauncey  step  out  of  one  of  its  sleepers. 

This  gentleman,  being  brought  in  to  see  Miss  Tra- 
venion,  informs  her  of  her  father's  safety. 

"  I  got  him  out  of  the  mine  within  two  hours,"  he 
says,  "  of  Lawrence's  leaving.  Together  we  sneaked 
down  through  Mormondom  to  Ogden,  where  your  papa 
concealed  himself  on  a  Central  Pacific  train,  and  is  now 
in  California,  I  imagine,  unless  the  snow-drifts  on  the 
C.  P.  are  as  bad  as  on  this  !  " 

Relieved  from  anxiety  about  her  father,  Erma  begins 
to  pick  up  spirits  again,  for  this  young  lady,  in  her 
life  that  has  been  so  easy  up  to  this  time,  has  not  been 
accustomed  to  seeing  men  die  for  her,  and  has  not 
recovered  from  the  death  of  the  boy  at  the  Piedmont 
switch. 


268  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

A  little  while  after,  Mr.  Chauncey,  who  has  an  Evans- 
ton  "Age  "  in  his  pocket,  pulls  it  out,  and  says  :  "  Per- 
haps you  may  be  interested  in  that !  "  pointing  to  an 
article  in  the  newspaper  which  is  an  account  of  the 
inquest  by  coroner's  jury  held  upon  the  body  of  Kruger 
at  Evanston. 

They  had  taken  the  evidence  of  some  of  the  train- 
hands,  and  the  verdict  had  been  : 

"  That  the  boy  Buck  Powers  killed  Kruger,  and 
Kruger  killed  Buck  Powers  !  Consequently  there  is  an 
all-round  nolle prosequi  in  the  matter." 

This  rather  unique  finding  pleases  Harry  immensely, 
for  now,  he  imagines,  he  will  not  be  delayed  in  getting 
his  sweetheart  to  civilization. 

Some  two  or  three  hours  after,  telegraphic  orders 
being  received,  they  board  the  same  train  that  Mr. 
Ferdie  has  come  into  Green  River  on,  and  depart  for 
the  East. 

Passing  through  Rawlings  in  the  night,  early  the  next 
day  they  find  themselves  halted  by  the  snow  blockade 
at  Medicine  Bow,  about  one  hundred  miles  west  of  Lara- 
mie  ;  and  this  time  it  seems  to  be  a  permanent  stoppage. 

Train  after  train  conies  in  from  the  West,  and  none 
from  the  East,  they  being  held  there  by  snow,  at 
Cooper's  Lake,  and  tremendous  drifts  in  the  deep  cuts 
from  Laramie  towards  Sherman. 

Fortunately  they  have  plenty  to  eat.  There  is  a  gro- 
cery store,  and  they  are  the  first  of  this  snow  blockade, 
and  so  they  live  on  "  the  fat  of  the  land,"  which  means 
canned  goods  of  every  style,  and  ham  and  bacon  ad 
libitum. 

Though  Ferdie  rages  at  the  delay,  Lawrence,  being 
near  his  sweetheart,  would  be  content  but  for  one 
thing  :  Erma's  position,  without  a  chaperon,  and  ac- 
companied by  two  men,  neither  of  them  relatives,  is 
"  embarrassing." 


MISS   DIVIDENDS.  269 

Lawrence  probably  appreciates  this  even  more  than 
she  does,  as  now  and  then  remarks  come  to  his  ears, 
from  some  of  the  passengers  on  the  other  trains,  that  he 
would  resent,  if  common  sense  did  not  tell  him  that  he 
must  in  no  way  bring  his  sweetheart's  name  to  any 
scandal. 

It  is  partly  this,  and  partly  the  natural  impatience  to 
call  his  own  this  being  he  loves  so  much,  that  he  is 
desperately  afraid  some  accident  or  chance  will  even 
now  take  her  from  him,  that  causes  him  to  come  to 
Erma  one  day,  and  explain  the  matter  to  her. 

He  urges  :  "  Why  should  we  wait  for  a  grand  wedding 
in  New  York,  dear  one  ?  As  your  husband,  I  can  show 
you  much  greater  attentions,  and  can  do  things  for  you 
that  I  could  not  as  your  betrothed,  in  the  privations 
and  hardships  of  this  blockade.  Why  not  make  me 
happy — why  not  marry  me  here  ?  " 

But  the  young  lady,  affecting  a  little  laugh,  murmurs  : 
"  What  ?  Before  you  have  given  me  the  engagement 
ring  you  wish  to  use  the  wedding  one  ?" 

And  he  replies  :  "  I  wish  to  marry  you  !  " 

"  Not  by  a  justice  of  the  peace  !  "  cries  the  girl  in 
horror. 

"  No,  by  a  minister." 

"Where  will  you  find  one?" 

"  On  the  next  train  behind  us — the  Reverend  Mr. 
Millroy,  of  St.  Paul.  He's  anxious  to  do  some  work  ; 
he  has  had  no  pastoral  duties  to  perform  for  a  month 
or  two.  Let  us  give  him  a  chance — you  know  your 
father  wished  it  !  " 

This  mention  of  her  father's  views  perhaps  actuates 
Erma  more  than  she  imagines — but  it  also  reminds  her  of 
him  !  She  falters,  "  You  are  sure  you  will  never  repent  ? 
Remember,  I  am  a  Mormon's  daughter  !  " 

"  So  you  are,  and  the  belle  of  Newport  and  the 
sweetest — the  dearest — the " 


270  MISS    DIVIDENDS. 

But  she  cries,  placing  her  patrician  fingers  on  his 
moustache,  "  Stop  ! — no  more  compliments  !  " 

"You  consent  ? " 

"  P-e-r-haps  !     When  do  you  wish  it  ?  " 

"  This  evening  !  " 

"  Oh  !  "  And  blushes  fly  over  her  face  and  neck  as 
Lawrence  goes  away  to  consult  with  Mr.  Ferdie. 

This  young  gentleman  makes  arrangements  with  the 
minister,  and  consents  to  act  as  best  man  on  the  occa- 
sion, crying :  "  Thank  God,  Harry,  you've  given  me 
some  excitement  at  last !  I  had  finished  my  last  novel 
and  my  last  cigar,  and  thought  I  should  die  of  ennui  in 
this  everlasting,  unending,  eternal  snow." 

But  even  as  Mr.  Ferdinand  makes  his  preparations 
for  the  nuptial  fete,  another  train  from  the  West  comes 
in  upon  the  crowded  railroad  tracks  at  Medicine  Bow. 
On  it,  Oliver,  Mrs.  Livingston,  and  Louise.  They  do 
not  see  Lawrence  and  Miss  Travenion,  as  their  cars  are 
some  little  distance  apart.  But  Mr.  Chauncey,  who  has 
a  habit  of  visiting  from  one  train  to  another,  finds  them 
out,  and  after  a  little  chuckles  to  himself :  "  This  will 
be  the  ceremony  of  the  season  !  I'll — I'll  have  some 
Grace  Church  effects  for  Mr.  Ollie's  benefit  and  dis- 
comfiture." 

So  after  exchanging  greeting  with  his  aunt  and  her 
family,  he  gets  Miss  Louise  to  one  side,  and  explaining 
something  to  her  that  makes  the  child's  eyes  grow  large, 
bright,  and  excited,  she  suddenly  gives  a  scream  of 
laughter  and  whispers  :  "  I'll  do  it — if  mother  puts  me 
on  bread  and  water  for  a  week.  It  will  make  Ollie 
crazy." 

"  That's  right !  You  always  were  a  lovely  child  !  " 
returns  Mr.  Chauncey. 

After  this,  throughout  the  day,  Louise  acts  as  if  under 
intense  but  concealed  excitement,  for  she  says  nothing 
to  her  mother  and  Oliver,  but  every  now  and  then 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  271 

gives  little  giggles  of  laughter,  which  so  astonishes  Ollie 
that  he  remarks  to  Mrs.  Livingston  :  "  The  privations 
of  this  snow  blockade  have  made  the  child  deranged." 
Then  he  says  severely  :  "  If  I  hear  another  insane  giggle, 
Louise,  I'll  shut  you  up  in  the  stateroom  ;  "  for  this 
young  gentleman  is  always  happy  to  play  the  domestic 
tyrant. 

These  remarks  so  frighten  Louise  that  she  disappears. 

About  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening,  Mr.  Livingston 
remarks  to  Ferdie,  who  has  dropped  into  his  car  :  "  It's 
dreadfully  tiresome  !  Don't  you  think  you  could  join 
us  in  a  game  of  whist  ?  " 

"I  would  be  delighted,"  replies  Mr.  Chauncey,  "but 
there  is  going  to  be  an  entertainment  in  the  train  next 
to  ours.  Can't  you  come  in  and  enjoy  it  ?  Eight 
o'clock  is  the  hour." 

"  What  are  they  going  to  do  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  exactly,  but  I  expect  it's  exciting." 

"  Well,  anything  is  better  than  doing  nothing,"  laughs 
Oliver,  in  which  his  mother  agrees. 

So  it  comes  to  pass  that  the  two  leave  their  Pullman 
and  wade  through  the  snow  to  another  side  track,  where 
a  palace  car  is  brilliantly  lighted,  and  apparently 
crowded  with  the  Mite  of  the  blockaded  passengers, 
all  in  their  blockade  best. 

At  the  door  Oliver  asks  the  porter  :  "  What's  going 
on  ?" 

"  A  weddin',  sah  !  "  replies  the  negro.  "  An'  they're 
havin'  a  very  hard  time  inside  ;  thar  wasn't  no  weddin' 
ring — but  I'se  just  cut  off  one  of  de  curtain  rings  to 
give  to  de  groom." 

"  Ah,  some  cowboy  affair,"  remarks  Ollie,  who  leads 
his  mother  into  the  car,  and  then  gives  a  gasp,  and 
sinks  down  on  an  unoccupied  seat,  while  Mrs.  Living- 
ston, too  much  overcome  for  words,  drops  beside 
him. 


272  MISS    DIVIDENDS. 

For  beneath  a  centre  cluster  of  red  and  green  coal- 
oil  railroad  lamps  hung  up  as  a  decoration  they  see 
Erma  Travenion  and  Harry  Lawrence  being  joined  in 
holy  matrimony,  and  Ferdie  and  Louise  acting  as  best 
man  and  bridesmaid. 

A  moment  after  the  ceremony  is  finished. 

Then  Mr.  Chauncey  announces  that  a  wedding  break- 
fast, or,  rather,  wedding  supper,  is  served  in  the  grocery 
at  the  side  of  the  track. 

"  It  is  not  exactly  a  wedding  breakfast,"  he  says, 
"  because  it's  evening,  but  there'll  be  plenty  of  cham- 
pagne, and  every  one  is  cordially  invited  to  attend  !  " 

Just  here,  social  diplomat  as  she  is,  Mrs,  Livingston, 
gathering  herself  together,  gets  on  her  feet,  and  coming 
to  Erma,  gives  her  a  kiss  of  congratulation,  saying,  "  My 
dear,  I  hear  you  have  no  proper  wedding-ring — let  this 
be  your  first  bridal  present ;  "  and  places  a  magnificent 
ruby  of  her  own  on  Mrs.  Lawrence's  finger. 

Then  they  all  go  through  the  snow  to  the  grocery, 
which  has  a  back  room  that  is  fitted  up  as  a  dining- 
room,  where  the  champagne  flows  like  water  in  Western 
style,  and  a  Nevada  congressman  with  a  silver  tongue 
makes  a  little  address  to  the  bride,  remarking  on  orange 
blossoms  in  the  snow.  "  The  snow  we'll  keep  in  the 
West — the  orange  blossoms  go  to  the  East  with  the 
bride,  God  bless  her !  But  a  Western  man  goes  with 
her!" 

This  sentiment  appealing  to  Western  hearts,  and  the 
champagne  appealing  to  Western  palates,  the  gentle- 
men of  the  party  make  a  great  night  of  it. 

Three  days  after,  the  snow  blockade  at  Sherman 
being  broken  for  a  little  time,  the  trains  all  get  under 
headway,  and,  with  cheering  passengers,  leave  Medicine 
Bow,  run  down  to  Laramie,  and  the  next  morning  are 
out  of  the  great  snow  blockade,  and  flying  across  Ne- 
braska towards  Omaha. 


MISS    DIVIDENDS.  273 

So,  one  evening  just  before  Christmas,  Harry  Law- 
rence and  his  wife  come  into  the  Grand  Central  Depot, 
New  York,  Erma  whispering,  "  Did  ever  girl  have  rail- 
road trip  like  mine? — I  went  to  find  a  father  and  found 
a  husband  !  "  and  her  eyes  beam  upon  Harry,  who  is 
pressing  her  arm  to  his  side. 

From  the  station  they  drive  to  the  Everett,  where  a 
telegram  comes  to  them  from  California,  announcing 
the  safety  of  Ralph  Travenion,  and  that  he  has  shipped 
his  Utah  Central  stock  east  by  Wells,  Fargo  &  Co., 
and  is  returning  to  New  York  via  Panama,  for  he  does 
not  dare  to  trust  himself  in  Utah. 

Thirty  days  after  this,  Travenion  strolls  into  their 
parlor  at  the  Everett,  and  looking  at  him,  no  one  would 
ever  have  thought  that  he  was  once  a  Mormon  bishop, 
for  he  is  now  the  same  debonair  exquisite  of  the  Unity 
Club  that  he  was  years  ago,  and  gives  Lawrence  his 
father's  blessing,  as  one. 

"  My  boy,  we  must  make  you  an  Eastern  club  man," 
he  remarks.  "  I  shall  put  you  up  at  the  Unity  and  Stuy- 
vesant.  We're  rich  enough  to  live  in  the  East,  and  in 
order  to  make  us  richer,  let's  go  over  to  Boston,  and 
see  the  heads  of  the  Union  Pacific!" 

Which  they  do,  and  sell  the  control  of  the  Utah 
Central,  out  of  which  Brigham  Young  and  his  fellows 
go,  with  wailing  and  gnashing  of  teeth,  for  they  know 
that  the  hand  of  the  Union  Pacific  is  upon  them  in  rail- 
road matters,  and  it  is  a  grasping  Gentile  corporation  ; 
in  proof  of  which  the  Mormon  Church  does  not  control 
one  railroad  in  Utah — though  it  built  nearly  all  of  them. 

Some  time  afterwards,  over  their  dinner-table  in  New 
York,  Travenion,  whose  instincts  are  those  of  a  busi- 
ness man  yet,  says  :  "  I  should  have  stayed  in  Cali- 
fornia. There's  a  fortune  there  !  Even  while  in  San 
Francisco,  I  made  some  money  in  mining  stocks. 
Belcher,  for  instance,  had  gone  up  very  much." 
18 


274  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

"  Belcher  !  "  cries  Lawrence.  "  Good  Heavens  !  I've 
got  two  hundred  shares  of  that  stock  in  my  pocket- 
book,  and  have  forgotten  all  about  it !  " 

"Oh!"  says  Erma,  "that  was  the  stock  you  had 
when  you  first  heard  that  I  was  Bishop  Tranyon's 
daughter — and  you  forgot  your  investment  for  me  !  " 

"  Well,  Providence  has  rewarded  him  for  it,  for  I 
think  Belcher  must  be  up  to  a  thousand  dollars  a 
share,  by  this  time  ! "  laughs  Ralph. 

And  telegraphing  San  Francisco,  Lawrence  finds  this 
is  the  fact,  and  sells  out  his  Belcher  stock  for  some- 
thing over  eleven  hundred  dollars  a  share,  making 
nearly  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  by  the  transac- 
tion. 

"  Luck  is  upon  you,  young  man  !  "  says  the  ex-bishop. 
"  Your  election  comes  up  at  the  Unity  Club  to-morrow. 
I've  no  doubt  you'll  go  in — but  that  Oliver  Livingston 
may  give  you  trouble." 

"  Oh,  I  think  not ! "  cries  Erma,  "  his  mother  has 
been  so  very  kind  to  me,  as,  in  fact,  have  all  my  old 
friends." 

For  some  rumors  of  the  peculiar  adventures  that  have 
made  Miss  Travenion  Mrs.  Lawrence  have  got  into  cir- 
culation, and  in  them  Harry  has  been  made  a  Western 
hero  and  a  frontier  demi-god.  Besides,  society  is  gen- 
erally very  nice  to  a  young  and  beautiful  woman  who 
has  sixty  thousand  a  year  of  her  own,  a  rich  husband, 
and  richer  father,  and  who  is  going  to  have  a  fine 
mansion  on  Fifth  Avenue,  and  give  many  dinner  parties 
and  a  german  or  two  each  season. 

"  I  differ  with  you,  my  dear,"  returns  Ralph.  "  Oliver 
Livingston  is  an  infamous  cad." 

"  Why,  what  has  he  done  now  ? "  asks  Lawrence,  not- 
ing the  excitement  in  his  father-in-law's  manner. 

"What  has  he  done?"  cries  Travenion.  "  The  mis- 
erable sneak  has  told  in  the  Unity  the  story  of  the  Mor- 


MISS    DIVIDENDS. 


275 


mon  club  man — tne  story  I  risked  my  life  to  originate. 
I  told  it  to-day  with  graphic  elaboration,  and  Larry 
Jerry  and  the  rest  only  half  smiled,  and  said  they  be- 
lieved Mr.  Livingston  had  told  them  that  yarn  about  a 
month  ago.  I  shall  never  tell  it  again  !  " 

"Don't!"  cries  his  daughter.  "Don't  make  me 
ashamed  of  you."  Then  she  says  more  calmly  :  "  What 
have  you  done  about  your  families  out  there  ?  " 

"Oh,  they're  provided  for  well!"  remarks  Ralph. 
"  I  believe  one  of  them,  the  genuine  Mrs.  Travenion  " 
— he  winces  a  little  at  the  title — "  would  have  made  me 
trouble,  but  I  think  the  Church  instructed  her  to  let  me 
alone  ;  I  know  a  few  secrets  of  theirs  that  make  them 
quite  amiable  to  me,  now  I'm  out  of  their  clutches. 
Their  delegate  to  congress,  the  one  who  has  four  wives 
in  Utah,  and  declares  he  is  not  a  polygamist  in  Wash- 
ington, might  not  like  me  to  explain  what  I  know  of 
his  large  family,"  chuckles  the  old  gentleman. 

But  for  all  this,  he  does  not  tell  the  story  of  Bishop 
Tranyon,  the  New  York  dandy,  very  often. 

His  guess  about  Oliver  Livingston,  however,  was  a 
shrewd  one.  For  chancing  to  be  on  the  Governing 
Committee  of  the  Unity  when  Lawrence's  name  comes 
up  for  membership,  he  sneaks  in  a  black-ball,  as  many 
another  prig  and  coward,  from  envy  and  malice  and 
uncharitableness,  has  done  before,  and  will  do  to 
come. 

But  this  doesn't  count  much,  for  Ferdie,  who  chances 
to  be  its  youngest  member,  has  gone  about  with  his  win- 
ning manner  and  boyish  frankness,  and  has  button-holed 
everybody,  saying,  "  Hang  it !  You  must  put  Harry 
Lawrence  through.  He's  the  man  who  saved  my  life. 
He's  from  the  wild  and  woolly  West,  but  some  day  he's 
going  to  make  New  York  howl !  " 

So  Lawrence  goes  in. 

Though  he  doesn't  do  quite  as  much  as  Ferdie  has 


276  MISS   DIVIDENDS. 

promised  for  him — for  he  is  too  happy  to  be  inordinately 
ambitious — and  is  contented  to  be  a  successful  railroad 
director,  and  have  a  yacht  on  the  water  and  a  villa  in 
Newport,  and  a  town-house  on  the  avenue,  and  to  be 
the  husband  of  Miss  Dividends. 


FINIS. 


\ 


Unrfc 
Sol 


